The Storm
by Mylee
Summary: This is a Classic Broe fanfic. I wrote it in the fall of 2001. It is the second story in "The Storm" trilogy and it begins right where "The Calm Before the Storm" ended. Chloe found out who her father was at the end of the first story. Now she will have to find a way to deal with the knowledge. It is rated M for language.
1. Chapter 1

_*Warning* This entire installment is rated SB for Sad Broe!_

 _I have also given this story an M rating...it seems when I wrote this story way back in 2001, I didn't mind swearing so much! LOL! Go figure...hence the need for the M rating!_

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fic!

 **Chapter One**  
(This fan fic picks up directly where "The Calm Before The Storm" left off.)

"This is a vicious lie!" Brady shouted at DiMera as he attempted to attack his father's enemy. His eyes revealed the molten fury bottled up in him as he recalled how DiMera claimed Chloe as his daughter. The fascinated eyes of the remaining guests (mainly regulars and a few extras) watched the unfolding scene in mute fascination, eagerly awaiting everyone's reactions to the news.

John blocked Brady's attempt with his arms and held on tightly to a struggling Brady. He had a difficult time restraining Brady, who had his fury to strengthen him. "Calm down, son," John growled close to Brady's ears. "Calm down, and then we will get to the bottom of this mess." When Brady stopped struggling, John finally let him go.

Brady straightened the jacket of his tuxedo as he met his father's gaze defiantly. "Fine!" he sneered, "I'm calm! Now what the hell do you mean about this?" Brady turned to DiMera, his fury still evident in his eyes and the rigid stance of his body. "Chloe has had enough pain in her life. She doesn't need to be hurt by your lies now."

Stefano answered as he smiled with amusement at the Black family's reaction to his shocking news, "I can see that you care for my Chloe very much, little Black. Imagine that, John, our two children have fallen in love!"

John stared angrily as DiMera deliberately prodded Brady's temper. He put a restraining hand on Brady's shoulder, keeping Brady from attempting to attack Stefano again. "You said you had proof that you are Chloe's father." John looked at Marlena and Brady. "We don't believe that Chloe is your daughter."

Stefano reached inside his tuxedo jacket and extracted a white envelope from inside, the proof of his allegations. "I am shocked that you should question the veracity of my words! Well, since you insist, I happen to have the pertinent information on hand. This information will be shared with the Wesley family tomorrow by the adoption agency. I really should not share it with you until they see it, but, under the circumstances…"

Marlena warily eyed the envelope in Stefano's hand, afraid of what it might contain. "What is it?" she asked.

Brady snatched the envelope quickly out of Stefano's hands, causing Stefano to laugh. "John, you really must teach your son some finesse!" Stefano joked loudly, waving his hands in the air.

Brady eyed Stefano with blazing hatred but chose not to comment this time. Instead, he turned his back on them and opened the envelope. He looked through the different papers it contained. When he was finished, he looked back through them again.

"What is in the envelope, son?" John questioned Brady, after Brady was silently studying the papers for the third time.

Brady swore a blue streak under his breath as he finished his perusal of the information. When he faced his father, his expression looked defeated. He silently handed the information to his father, and stared straight ahead at the wall in front of him, trying to assimilate the information he had discovered in the envelope.

"John?" Marlena inquired after Brady had given him the information. She could tell from Brady's response that the news was not good.

John held up the first paper from the envelope. "There are three papers in the envelope. This is a copy of Nancy's daughter's birth certificate. Attached to it is a copy of her death certificate, two days after she was born."

"What was her name?" Marlena was afraid that she already knew the answer.

John responded with the obvious answer, "Chloe."

Marlena fluttered her hands in front of her as she denied it. "But that doesn't prove anything! You said that there were three papers. What is the last one?"

John sighed as he answered Marlena, "There is also the results of a DNA test in this envelope. The people tested were Chloe Lane and Stefano DiMera. The results are extremely conclusive. A 99.90% match."

Marlena fluttered her eyes for the hundredth time tonight at John as she pondered, "But how could that be?"

Stefano answered for her. "I had been attempting to find my daughter. The colleague who hid her so well died without ever revealing to me her location. I only knew that she was "placed" close to Salem. So, I started to research the possibilities of whom my daughter could be before I left Salem early this past summer. When I was nearly positive about Chloe's true identity, I had a DNA test completed. The results were conclusive."

Brady sneered at this as he focused his attention back on the group, "Oh, come on! You expect us to believe that Chloe took a DNA test without knowing it? I don't accept this!"

Stefano nodded his head at Brady and responded, "Chloe needed a physical examination before she entered school in the fall. I simply borrowed a blood sample from her and had the DNA test run. I am completely willing to do another test, but I can assure you that the results will be the same." He placed the envelope back in his tuxedo jacket.

Stefano smiled with utter conviction at the Black family. He was proud to have Chloe as his biological daughter. She was beautiful, smart, intelligent, compassionate to those she loved, and extremely talented. He could also appreciate the fact that Chloe had become another pawn for him in his ongoing battles against the Black family. The Black family, and Brady especially, would have a tough time accepting Chloe's true parentage. The pain this knowledge caused them would be immeasurable.

"Father," Lexi said as she sauntered up to the group. She blatantly ignored John and Marlena, "I believe it is time for us to leave the ball."

Stefano looked at Lexi, a daughter who had come to love and accept him. She had also joined him in schemes. How will Greta and Chloe fit into my life? he wondered as he offered Lexi his arm. "Alexandra, you are right. John, Marlena, little Black, always a pleasure." Stefano grinned with satisfaction as he and Lexi proceeded to leave Tuscany.

"Well, Father?" Lexi inquired as they waited for the elevator. She, along with the rest of the guest, had witnessed most of the startling encounter.

"Everything has gone as planned, Alexandra," Stefano confirmed as they stepped into the elevator.

Brady ran both of his hands through his hair as he looked with anger at John and Marlena. "God! This can't be true!"

"I think it might be, son," John said grimly. "I know DiMera well. He was very confident and sure of himself. It is a definite possibility that Chloe is DiMera's daughter." He sighed in defeat. "What is this knowledge doing to Chloe right now?"

Brady remembered how Chloe had fled the room earlier after Stefano had dropped his bombshell. He had wanted to go after her but his body had been immobilized with shock and anger at Stefano DiMera. Plus, he had wanted to find out if Stefano could confirm his information. "I've got to find her," he said quietly to himself as he departed the room.

Marlena turned to John as they watched Brady's exit from the room. "Oh, John! This is horrible!" She walked into his comforting embrace. "Brady and Chloe. They are going to hurt so much over this."

John responded as he laid his head on top of Marlena's. "I know." And he watched with grim sadness as his son, who had been so happily in love with Chloe, exited the room with steely determination. "I wonder what is going to happen between the two of them now."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Oh my god! This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. The refrain ran repeatedly through Chloe's mind to the rhythm of the elevator as it brought her down to the parking garage. She was grateful to feel a blessed numbness over the news she had received a few minutes earlier, cocooning her shock and surprise over the revelation of her father.

When the elevator stopped, Chloe hesitated before stepping out. She wasn't quite certain where she was going. She shivered as she stepped out of the elevator. The parking garage was cold from the bitter winter air and she had forgotten her coat in her haste to leave the ball and all of the prying eyes that had witnessed the shattering of her life.

"I feel like Cinderella," Chloe murmured to herself despondently as she walked slowly away from the elevator, heading in no particular direction. She barely noticed the cold now because she had her horrible thoughts to warm her up. "Only Cinderella left the ball because she was afraid her prince would discover who she really was. I left because my prince knows exactly who I am."

A picture of Stefano DiMera formed itself in her mind from last spring. She remembered how he had enjoyed her singing before Greta's coronation. She had believed him to be a nice, eccentric man who appreciated opera as much as she did. Was I ever wrong, she thought in disgust at herself. "Damn, I was so naïve!"

Chloe then thought of the many revelations she had learned about Stefano DiMera tonight at the ball. He was responsible for so much unhappiness in the Black and Brady families. He used people for his own gain. He manipulated people and forced them to dance to his special, usually evil tune. She remembered the scene she witnessed from a distance between Hope Brady and Stefano. Mrs. Brady, a woman she personally liked and respected, had thrown her champagne in his face. People did not like Stefano DiMera. They simply feared him.

"And that man is my father!" Chloe exclaimed in anger. She slammed her hands down on the hood of a car, expressing her fury and disbelief at DiMera's revelation minutes ago. Then the blessed numbness returned again to her after her display of anger.

She looked back at the elevator, hoping to see Brady come charging out of it any minute. She felt despair rise in her when she realized he wasn't coming. "Can you blame him?" Chloe said as she continued to walk away from the elevator. "Hell, he just received the shock of his life! His girlfriend is the daughter of his father's most hated enemy."

She laughed hollowly as she continued on aimlessly. "What about you, Lane?" she said. "You have always wished to know who your father is. Now I'd give anything for complete ignorance."

Chloe noticed her reflection in a car window on the parking garage level. She stopped by the window and peered down at her reflection. "I look…" Chloe searched her mind for the correct adjective, "devastated. Yes, that's the right word for it." She watched as a solitary tear slid down her cheek. "My world has been shattered."

As she slowly turned away from her reflection, Chloe remembered her telephone conversation with Brady the night before and chuckled grimly at herself. "Oh, Chloe, you predicted this and didn't even realize it! How stupid can I be? I told Brady that I was nervous about attending another dance, afraid that it would end like the Last Blast. Dammit, you made up that reason to stop Brady from worrying about you."

Chloe had a flashback to last spring, when her nude body was shown on the large screen in the high school gymnasium under the title of . She had experienced so many feelings that night: disbelief, devastation, horror, anger, frustration, and, above all else, hurt. Phillip had contributed to that hurt by believing she was responsible for the Internet sight. He had called her horrible names and left her even more vulnerable. Even some of her friends had doubted her.

"And it happened again, only so much worse this time. I thought nothing in my life could top that awful night," Chloe said sadly as she felt another tear slid down her face. "The Last Blast Dance was awful! I had my body exposed in that degrading fashion in front of the entire high school and on the Internet!"

Chloe was silent for a few seconds as her pace slowed. Then, she compared her feelings about tonight and the Last Blast Dance and came to a stunning realization. "Tonight is ten times worse. I didn't have my body exposed to the public. No, I had my soul laid bare in that room, in front of so many people." She chewed on her bottom lip as she realized that wasn't the only reason. "Why else is tonight worse than the Last Blast?" Chloe asked herself in confusion.

Then the answer hit her with the reaction of a thunderbolt. "My god! Only one person completely stood behind me the night of the Last Blast. He came to me that night and believed in my innocence. He is the one who I've learned to lean on, who has made me understand how strong I can be and has helped me overcome my feelings of inadequacy." She glanced around her but he didn't magically appear by her. How she wished for a fairy godmother to grant her one wish. "And he is not here now," Chloe whispered in defeat.

She leaned against a wall, hanging her head in dejection. She used her hand to trace a heart on the wall. "Oh, Brady," she said heartbrokenly, "I need you so much! Where are you?" Of course he didn't answer her. Chloe believed that his absence spoke louder than any word ever could. Had she lost Brady forever because of the identity of her father?

A pair of hands gently touched Chloe's hunched shoulders from behind her. Chloe raised her head slowly when she felt the comfort. She knew it wasn't Brady before she turned her head. She always felt an undeniable shock of electricity when he touched her. Chloe didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed that Brady wasn't here.

Greta felt her heart hurt when she saw the utter desolation in Chloe's eyes. She didn't know how to make it better for the young woman. Hell, Greta had been dealing with the same news for nearly two years and still hadn't completely accepted it. "I am taking you home with me," she said simply to Chloe.

Chloe didn't protest. At least she finally had a destination. She followed along slowly as Greta gently guided her towards Hope's car. "Hope is driving us to my house," Greta explained as they neared Hope, who was waiting by the door with a solemn expression on her face. "I didn't drive myself here."

Hope watched the two women walking towards her. She greeted them, "Hey, girls. What do you say we blow this joint?"

Greta smiled weakly at Hope's attempt at humor. "I can't think of anything I'd rather do." The three women opened the doors and climbed into Hope's shiny silver car. The car slowly drove away as the elevator doors opened, revealing a young man in a hurry.

"Chloe?" Brady called as he began his search for the woman he loved.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The car slowly pulled into the driveway of Greta's house. Greta had recently bought the house when she had become tired of living in her apartment. When Hope stopped the car, Greta turned to a silent Chloe, who sat in the backseat, and said, "Here we are!"

Chloe smiled weakly at Greta as she opened her car door. She was grateful for the support the two women were showing her. "Thanks for letting me stay here tonight. I don't think I would have been able to go home and face Nancy and Craig."

Greta waited on the path for Chloe before they started up the walk to the front door of her house. She hesitatingly draped her arm around the younger woman's shoulders. "It's not a problem, Chloe. I am really glad that you're visiting me."

Hope slammed her car door a little harder than necessary as she watched Greta and Chloe walk up the steps to the front door. "Damn you, DiMera!" Hope swore as she followed behind the two of them. She had witnessed the entire devastating scene at the ball. DiMera had shocked her and everyone who was left at the ball with his announcement about Greta and Chloe. "And he's probably celebrating his "victory"!" Hope muttered as she entered the front door. "I'll bet he had the whole thing planned."

Greta said to Chloe when they entered the hallway, "Follow me. I'll get you some clothes to change into for the night. I don't think you will want to sleep in that beautiful gown."

Chloe smiled listlessly in response. She didn't care what happened to this dress. She would probably throw it out tomorrow, like she had done to her Last Blast dress from last spring. She walked behind Greta up the stairs to her into her bedroom.

"All right," Greta said, wanting to complete mundane chores to keep her mind off of the night's troubling events. "Let's see. You're about my height and my size, so we shouldn't have any trouble finding you some clothes that fit."

Chloe realized what Greta was attempting to and decided to go along with her. "I always have a hard time borrowing clothes from Belle when I stay over at her place. We aren't the same size. I usually end up borrowing clothes from…" Chloe stopped herself before she could say Brady's name. She sat down dejectedly on Greta's bed.

"Brady." Greta finished for her. She had noticed that Brady hadn't followed Chloe after Stefano's shocking announcement. Of course, Colin had not made a mover to assist her, either. We're in the same boat, Greta thought as she cautiously sat down next to Chloe, unsure of her reception. She had never attempted to be a sister before. "Chloe, I…" Greta sighed in frustration. "Dammit! I don't know what to say."

Chloe lifted her sad sapphire eyes to meet Greta's. "It doesn't matter," she said to Greta. Chloe laid her hand lightly on top of hers. "You are the only one who knows exactly how I am feeling right now." She was deeply hurt and shocked, but realized that Greta could totally sympathize with her.

Greta squeezed her hand back in a solid response of support. "That's true. Only the truth didn't come so unexpectedly to me, as it did to you. I've had a lot of time to prepare myself for the revelation. You, on the other hand, were completely blindsided."

"Not completely," Chloe disagreed with her sadly. "You see, in the past few weeks, I received a few hints that I could possibly meet my father tonight at the Christmas Ball. Someone sent me a dozen red roses, without a note attached to it. Then, I received a mysterious e-mail. The server wouldn't let me reply to it. Finally, I received another e-mail that explained my father had sent me the roses and that he wanted to meet me tonight, at the Christmas Ball. But he never revealed his name."

Chloe sighed in frustration. "I was so excited about the possibility of finally meeting my father. I didn't share it with anyone, not even Brady. And now I would give anything to change time and make certain it never happened!"

"Oh, Chloe," Greta said as she gently trailed her hand down Chloe's cheekbone. She could imagine the anxiety and hope that Chloe had felt, only to have it dashed when she realized the true identity of her father. "What a horrible way for Stefano to get your attention."

Chloe shook her head in agreement. "I know. I was expecting something wonderful to happen." She laughed listlessly. "We surely didn't get something wonderful, did we? Instead, most of Salem found out that our father is the most hated man currently in residence."

"He is very infamous in Salem," Greta agreed with Chloe. "But you need to believe one very important thing. He may be our father and we can't change that. But, you and I make our own lives. He does not have any control over us!"

Chloe nodded at Greta and then stood up from her bed. "Thank you, Greta," she said. "Would you mind if I took a shower?" Chloe wanted to clean her body, even if she couldn't clean her soul.

"Of course. The bathroom is across the hall. Everything you need should be in there. Come downstairs when you're finished. Hope and I will make you some tea." Greta stopped Chloe when she was halfway through the door. "Wait, you'll need some clothes!" And Greta proceeded to pull out a pair of gray sweatpants and a pink t-shirt. She handed the clothes to Chloe, who left and went into the bathroom.

Greta eyed the closed bathroom door, thinking of the desolate young woman inside. She walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where Hope had a kettle of tea boiling.

"…Thanks, Julie. I'll be home tomorrow morning." And Hope hung up the phone. She heard Greta enter the kitchen and said, "I hope you have room for one more. I called Julie, who is watching J.T., and she is going to keep him for the rest of the night. So, I'm going to stay over tonight, too."

Greta fixed herself a cup of tea as she smiled gratefully at Hope. "I really appreciate that. Damn, I feel awful for Chloe right now! That poor girl has had her world ripped apart."

Hope nodded as she sipped from her cup. She sat down on a kitchen stool at the counter and agreed with Greta. "Both of you have been horribly affected by tonight. Why didn't you tell anyone who your father was?"

"It was so hard for me to accept Stefano as my biological father. He has been responsible for so much pain and heartbreak in this town and to many people that I love and care about. I didn't want to share it with anyone until I had come to terms with it myself. As you can see, I still haven't," Greta answered as she dipped her tea bag repeatedly into her mug. "I've known the truth for almost two years and haven't been able accept it. I wonder how long it's going to affect Chloe."

Hope said grimly, "A long time, I'm sure." She added some more sugar to her tea. "The three of us are some sight, aren't we? Stefano has affected us all in some way."

"We'll have to be strong for each other," Greta replied to her friend. "I'm not certain if there will be that many other people out there in the big, bad world supporting us." She thought about how Colin had left her with Stefano. Colin had some serious issues with Stefano DiMera, and Greta believed he wouldn't take the information that he was her father very well. She may very well have lost him.

"We are all strong," Hope said, "and we will get through this, one way or another."

"Together," Greta answered, glad that she finally had people to support her through this. Hope smiled in agreement.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Chloe wiped the steam from the mirror in the bathroom with her towel and gazed intently at her reflection in the mirror. She felt…better now that she had showered, not quite as shattered. She watched her face as it appeared after the steam was gone.

"Chloe Lane," she said to her reflection, "what is going to happen now? Your father is the most despised man in Salem. People actively hate him, despise him, and fear him. He has been responsible for so much unhappiness. He has also wreaked havoc in the lives of so many families here." She paused and then admitted aloud to herself, "Including your boyfriend's and your best friend's."

She smiled slightly as she remembered her times with Belle and Brady. "They are so special to me," Chloe admitted. "Belle befriended me in Salem before anyone else would even talk to me, except to call me "Ghoul Girl". She accepted me for who I was, not for who she wanted me to be."

She trailed her hand along the counter. "And Brady. Oh, god, Brady!" she exclaimed in despair, holding one hand above her aching heart. "He is so important to me! Brady and I have such an intense connection between us. He pushes me to show my feelings, whether I am singing opera or just talking to him. He makes me laugh when I am so upset with Nancy!" Her eyes laughed as she recalled the time this past summer when she went bowling with Brady, Nancy, and Craig. "We always have so much fun together. It's because we have so much in common."

She fingered the necklace Brady had given her earlier tonight that signified the love he felt for her. It seemed like eons ago now. "And now we have even more in common. Stefano DiMera. My father, and his father's enemy. Damn, it sounds like a really awful opera! Will we survive this mess?" Chloe wondered aloud as she finished dressing.

Chloe heard the end of Hope and Greta's conversation as she stopped by the kitchen door and silently agreed with them. I think the three of us will need to help each other come to grips with this horrifying news. Chloe then entered the kitchen, dressed in the gray sweatpants and pink t-shirt Greta had given her.

"Chloe, you're here," Hope exclaimed with a warm smile. She stood up from her kitchen stool by the counter. "Here, have a seat. I'll make you some hot tea."

Chloe walked over to the stool that Hope had vacated and sat, heartened a little by Hope's reception to her. Stefano had royally messed up Hope's life, Chloe thought, and she doesn't seem to hold him against me or Greta. Maybe other people's reactions to the news won't be that bad. Chloe was surprised at the strain of optimism that popped into her head. All right, and maybe hell might freeze over.

"Hope and I were discussing the surprising turn of events of this evening," Greta began as Hope carried over a cup of tea for Chloe. Chloe accepted it with a small smile as she added sugar to her tea.

Hope sat down on the stool next to Chloe, so that Chloe was in- between her and Greta. "That's a surprise, isn't it?" she said to Greta and Chloe, at a small attempt at wry humor.

"I would never have expected it," Chloe responded as she sipped the hot liquid, grateful to feel the warmth. She still felt cold and numb on the inside.

"Anyway," Greta grinned at her friend and her new sister, pleased that they were attempting to rally around each other, "we thought that the best way to face the world of Salem is together. We will need each other to get through this, ah, situation."

Chloe suddenly felt grateful to be here, where her plight was accepted and understood. "When I was taking my shower a few minutes ago, I wondered how on earth I would be able to get through tonight. I mean, my world has completely shattered, in the blink of an eye. I'm not the same Chloe Lane I was, even an hour ago. Everything is completely different."

Hope looked sadly at the two new sisters. "We are here to help you, Chloe. Greta is your sister. She knows exactly how you are feeling right now. I've also been a victim of Stefano DiMera, and I know how hard it is to put your life back together after it has been destroyed."

Greta shook her head as a realization dawned on her at Hope's words. "Hope, you're right! I didn't think about this before but we are victims, too!" Greta turned to Chloe and said, "You said that Stefano had contacted you through "mysterious" ways for the past few weeks. You never knew his identity, just the fact that he was your father. He wanted you to become curious and excited about the possibility of meeting him."

She slammed the countertop with her hand as she began to unravel Stefano's diabolical plan for the evening. "If Stefano wanted to have both of us meet with him so he could share his "joyful" news, he could have done in a more appropriate manner."

"Such as in private," Chloe interjected sarcastically.

"Right. Instead, Stefano set the stage so carefully for us tonight, crafting it so he could reveal his identity to both of us in front of people we care about and the town of Salem!" Greta flushed in excitement as she picked apart Stefano's plan. "Now the only question is, why? Why did Stefano choose to reveal his parentage to us at the Christmas Ball, with such a large audience?"

Hope arched her eyebrow at Greta and laid her teacup on the kitchen counter. "You are onto something here, Greta." She remembered her earlier conversation with DiMera. "He let something slip when he talked to me in front of Shawn tonight. I know he did it for a reason. But I'll get to that in a moment. O.k., so Stefano wanted both of you to know he was your father. He "revealed" this information in public, and created a sensation throughout Tuscany. There's only one reason why he would do that," Hope said decisively.

"I'm a little drained right now, and am not thinking too clearly," Chloe said when Hope paused. "Why would he choose to reveal that he was our father in such a sensational way?"

Hope answered Chloe, "I think he wants to alienate you from people that you care about. You see? He wants to make both of you vulnerable so you will need to turn to him." Hope turned to Greta and said, "He made sure that Colin and John knew you were his daughter. I'm not certain what has happened between Colin and DiMera, but I know it's bad. Colin and John are two people you seek out for support in Salem."

Greta pointed at Hope in agreement, even though her hypothesis recalled the hurt she had felt about Colin's desertion when Stefano had greeted her tonight. And he still hadn't called her. "Yes, this could be it."

Hope turned to Chloe. "Chloe, he planned this whole, elaborate scheme for you. The timing had to be perfect for it to work. He contacted you through mysterious ways, hoping to gain your attention and interest. Then, at the ball, he instigated a conversation between John and Marlena that would lead back to family. When it did, Stefano was able to drop his bombshell in front of you, Brady, John, and Marlena. They are people you would rely on for support."

Chloe placed both hands over her mouth as she breathed, "You're right! And that's the reason why Brady didn't come after me. He must have calculated their responses to the news!"

"It's like a chess game to DiMera," Hope said, "and we were all his pawns tonight. He did the same thing with me, when he caused further friction in my relationship with Shawn. The man is utterly ruthless." She analyzed the situation as she calmly sipped her tea.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

A beautiful pink dawn was breaking as a new day in Salem began. Brady did not notice the gorgeous winter morning as he stepped out of the door of his "hot wheels." "Dammit!," he exclaimed after he slammed the car door in mute frustration. "Where the hell are you, Chloe?" But he received no new answer. He gingerly placed the gift Chloe had given him last evening in the pocket of his tuxedo jacket and started up the path to the penthouse.

Belle pulled the blanket tighter around her as she reclined on the sofa. John and Marlena had explained the whole horrible incident to her when they came home from the ball. Belle had been completely shocked about the truth of Chloe's father. She was really worried about Brady, who had spent the entire night looking for Chloe. Her father told her that Brady had traded in the limo for his jeep so he could search for Chloe. Belle couldn't understand why Brady hadn't gone after her right away, instead of demanding proof of Stefano DiMera's allegations. "I hope you didn't make a big mistake," Belle whispered. She knew Chloe well.

Belle started in slight shock when she heard the key being placed in the door. Brady, you're home! she thought. A second later, Brady opened the door and entered the penthouse. Belle got a really good look at him because he wasn't aware of her presence yet. He was still wearing the tuxedo. He looked…defeated, Belle thought. Completely different from the confidence, happiness, and amusement that had exuded from him at the ball, when Chloe had been at his side.

But her heart really went out to him as she saw the naked emotions written across his face: despair, worry, anger, frustration. She knew Brady would not normally show anyone his feelings. She was catching him when his guard was down. He turned to close the door quietly behind him and started to walk toward the stairs.

Enough of that, Belle thought. "Brady," she whispered loudly, hoping to catch his attention.

Brady's thoughts were focused on something else and he didn't hear her or respond. He had flashbacked to the evening he had witnessed Chloe Lane wearing that alluring slip while she was getting ready for the Last Blast. She had looked like she had stepped out of one of his secret dreams. Brady had finally realized at that point that his true feelings for Chloe were going to have to surface, preferably sooner than later. That night had been an epiphany for him. And then, Brady thought, she was finally mine.

She tried again to break into Brady's thoughts, "Brady Black, come over here!"

Brady turned around in surprise as he finally noticed his little sister waiting for him on the living room sofa. He quickly schooled his features into a semblance of his normal face.

"Tink, it hasn't been a good evening," Brady began in obvious displeasure. "I won't be good company."

Belle rolled her eyes at her big brother. She had never seen her brother more vulnerable than he was right now. "Shut up and sit down," she ordered, hoping to get to the bottom of Brady's despair.

Brady did as he was told, basically because he didn't have the energy to fight with Belle right now. His face was now completely devoid of any expression. Only his eyes revealed the inner turmoil he was experiencing.

Belle searched his face. I won't have this silent treatment, she thought as she began, "Mom and Dad told me what happened tonight after I left." Brady's face didn't reveal any emotion. Typical. "About Chloe…" she prompted.

"Yeah?" Brady said, hoping Belle would leave it alone.

Belle blew the hair out of her eyes in exasperation as she dropped the blanket into her lap. "Brady. This is me, your sister. You can tell me what you're feeling! I'll listen, and I might even be able to help."

Brady felt his hastily built charade start to crumble. He began with the most pressuring problem. "Tink, I don't know where she is. I left Tuscany after DiMera shared his "information" and she was already gone. I've looked for her everywhere! She's not home; she's not answering her cell phone. I feel like I'm about to go crazy!" His strong emotions began to show as Brady continued, "Sh t! Why didn't I follow her tonight when she left the room?" He dropped his head in his hands in despair.

Belle moved closer to Brady. She draped her arm around him in comfort as she hugged him lightly. "Chloe found out something really bad tonight. She needs time to deal with it."

"I don't know about that," Brady responded as he started to discuss what was really worrying him. "Chloe has always come to me when she's had a problem. I don't know why she's hiding right now."

Belle punched her big brother on the shoulder. "Brady! Chloe is NOT hiding from you! She's, well, she's probably in serious shock right now and is wondering what's going to happen next."

Brady cocked his head to one side in puzzlement as he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"O.k. Let's recap. Tonight Salem found out that Stefano DiMera is Chloe's father. Chloe knows that DiMera is, like, an extremely feared man in Salem. Maybe she's worried about how people will respond to her."

"Dammit!" Brady exclaimed loudly as he remembered his conversations about Stefano DiMera with Chloe and his family during the evening. Belle looked at him in surprise. "Tonight, of all nights, Dad, Marlena, and I discussed DiMera. We talked about how evil he is and how everyone who is related to him eventually follows the same path."

Belle brought both of her hands to her cheeks in dismay. "Oh no!" she breathed out deeply. She hadn't been aware of that little tidbit.

"Oh yes," Brady said. He stood up and began to pace furiously. "Chloe could be thinking that I wouldn't want her anymore, because her father is Stefano DiMera!" He punched one hand into the other in anger. "I hadn't thought of this yet! That's the reason why Chloe hasn't come to me."

Belle stood up, sorry that her attempt to soothe Brady had backfired so badly. "Brady, Chloe needs space right now to think, and to come to grips with this shocking news. She loves you. I know she will come to you." Belle started to push him gently towards the stairs. "You totally need some rest."

"How can I, Belle?" Brady questioned her. "Chloe is out there, somewhere, by herself, when she needs me the most."

Belle walked with Brady slowly up the stairs to his room. "Rest first," she offered a small smile to Brady, "and then go find her." She stepped on the tops of her toes to kiss Brady on the cheek. "She loves you, Brady."

Brady smiled slightly as he said, "Thanks, Tink." He opened his door and entered his bedroom. He took the special gift Chloe had given him out of his jacket the second the door behind him closed. He gently held it in his hands, gingerly tracing Chloe's name with his finger. "Your heart is so fragile," he said as he laid the heart on his dresser by her picture. "I pray that tonight didn't break it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Nancy walked up the stairs towards Chloe's room. She had left the ball soon after Stefano DiMera had arrived, and she wanted to find out what happened. Before she sailed into Chloe's room, she remembered the reason why she insisted on leaving. Bill Horton is back in town, she thought. Will he know about Chloe?

"Good morning, Chloe, dear!" she called out at she marched into her room. "Did you enjoy the…Chloe?" she questioned the empty room, noticing that the bed was still freshly made. And that her gown from the ball was not hanging up by the closet. "She's not here!"

Nancy turned around in a huff and bounded down the stairs. "Craig! Chloe's not here! I don't think she came home last night at all!"

Craig watched his upset wife enter the dining room, where he was placidly reading the morning newspaper. "She probably spent the night at the Blacks. In Belle's room," he added as an afterthought before Nancy could become even more upset.

"But wouldn't she have called?" Nancy asked worriedly.

Craig stood up from his chair, trying uselessly to calm his wife down. He walked over to her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm certain that she's fine." Then, the doorbell rang, startling both of them. "I'll go answer that," Craig said to Nancy.

Nancy watched Craig walk towards the front door, her insatiable curiosity peeked. "Honestly! Who could be here this early in the morning?"

Craig opened the door to see a strange woman standing on the front step in a business suit. She was carrying a briefcase. "Good morning, Dr. Wesley," she greeted him coolly. "I'm Janet Wilkerson. I am terribly sorry to bother you and your wife so early, but I have some pressing information I must share with you."

"Sounds mysterious," Craig said with a joking grin. The woman did not return it. "All right, come on in." He gestured to the woman to enter his house.

Ten minutes later, he wished she had never darkened their doorway. "Wait a minute," he nearly shouted, interrupting the woman from the adoption agency. He held Nancy protectively to him. "You are telling my wife and myself that Chloe Lane is not her daughter?"

"Regretfully, yes. There was a mix-up at the adoption agency that has recently came to light. Mrs. Wesley's daughter died of natural causes two days after she was adopted. She was apparently replaced with your Chloe Lane. I am sorry. I know this information must come as quite a shock to you." Janice began to open her briefcase.

"I don't believe this!" Nancy shouted angrily. "Craig, make her tell us the truth!"

Craig felt a mounting fury about to erupt from him. He calmed himself down enough to ask the adoption agency official, "How could something like this happen?"

Janice hesitated as she took the papers out of her briefcase. "I am not certain how it happened. But, it did. We have the proof right here." She solemnly handed the birth certificate and death certificate to the Wesleys.

Nancy glanced at it and said, "Oh no!" She slowly sank down onto the living room sofa. "Look at this, Craig! It says my Chloe is dead!"

Craig accepted the papers from Nancy and perused them carefully. "We still need more proof," he said decisively.

"I have the further proof you need right here," Janice answered as she pulled out the DNA test and quietly handed them over.

Craig reacted quickly when he read the results. "It says here that Stefano DiMera is Chloe's father!" He jumped up out of his chair in anger.

Janice interjected calmly, "The DNA test is very conclusive. The father of Chloe Lane is Stefano DiMera."

Nancy interrupted the official. She was having a difficult time accepting the information. Her face was showing a myriad of emotions. "But that's impossible!"

Janice looked coolly at Nancy Wesley. "You are not Chloe Lane's mother. According to Mr. DiMera, a woman named Gina von Amburg is Chloe's biological mother."

Craig glanced furiously at the woman who had so calmly destroyed their lives. "Get out!" he ordered when he saw how upset Nancy was at this news. He picked up her briefcase and proceeded to lead the woman quickly to the door. Craig opened the door and threw her briefcase outside. He was about to slam the door in the woman's face when he heard Nancy sobbing loudly in the living room. He left the door open slightly as he went back in to comfort his wife.

On the doorstep, Janice bent down to pick up her briefcase. She notices a pair of feet as a hand offers to help her up. She accepted the hand. "Mr. DiMera!" she said as she held onto his hand for leverage. "Be careful if you are going in there." She pointed to the open doorway. "They are quite vicious."

Stefano laughed maniacally as he watched Janice Wilkerson walk away. "Not as vicious as me!" he announced with satisfaction as he walked through the open doorway, looking forward to this next part of his scheme.

"Ah, Doctor Wesley! A pleasure to see you again! And your charming wife!" Stefano greeted them exuberantly as he entered their living room, with a cheerfully fake smile on his face.

Nancy looked up from the circle of Craig's supporting arms. "Oh my god! What are you doing here?" Craig also looked up, shocked to see this man in his house.

"Merely a social call," Stefano replied merrily. "I simply wanted to talk to you and your husband about my daughter."

"Listen," Craig began furiously, not caring who he was dealing with. "I want you out of our house now before I call the police and have you arrested for trespassing. You are not welcome here."

Stefano inwardly applauded Craig Wesley's courage. "I am pleased that my daughter was cared for by people who really are concerned for her well-being. Now, you have seen the proof that Chloe Lane is my daughter. I would like to see her." He paused dramatically, and then said, "Now."

Nancy could feel the tears drying on her face. She was grateful that Craig was standing next to her, giving her support. "She's not here."

Stefano weighed Nancy Wesley's answer and decided she was telling the truth. "That is not a surprise. No matter. I'll find her later." Stefano turned as if to leave their living room.

He turned back to face the Wesley's, wanting them to know his stand without a doubt on Chloe's importance to him. "I hear excellent reports from you as the chief of staff, Dr. Wesley. And Mrs. Wesley, I know that your radio show is receiving the highest ratings ever." He stopped and appeared to choose his next words carefully. "Chloe is my daughter. It would be in both of your best interest if you would have Chloe move out as soon as possible. I want her with me."

Nancy watched Stefano DiMera leave in shock. First she found out that Chloe wasn't her real daughter. Now Stefano DiMera just threatened her and Craig. Not a very tranquil morning. She turned to face Craig. "Oh my, Craig! That man just threatened us!" She hugged him fiercely. "What are we going to do?"

"Chloe's not going anywhere," Craig said with finality. "I won't let DiMera push us around. Come on, let's go upstairs." Craig led his crying wife up the stairs to their bedroom.

In the kitchen, Chloe leaded despairingly against the wall. "Just when I think my life couldn't possibly get any worse," she said sorrowfully. "No, I won't let Nancy and Craig be hurt anymore by my father. I'll move out. But I won't move in with him."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The early afternoon sun glinted off of the small amount of snow on the ground in scene of a picturesque winter day. "So beautiful," Chloe murmured from the bench she was reclining on in a remote part of Salem Place. Two suitcases and a bag were spread out around her as she watched the happy people of Salem passing by her.

"I would give anything to be that carefree again," Chloe said as she watched an obvious in love couple stroll by her, hand in hand. The couple only had eyes for each other and stopped a few feet away from Chloe to share a playful kiss. Painful memories of breathlessly kissing Brady played through her mind long after the couple walked away.

Chloe sighed in devastation as she leaned her head back on the top of the bench, closing her eyes in resignation. She recalled the letter she had left on her old bed at the Wesley's house as she had quietly stolen her way out of her old home, being careful not to make any noise to alert Craig or Nancy to her departure. Chloe had always had difficulty expressing her true feelings but the letter had simply poured out of her heart and soul.

 _Dear Nancy and Craig, (it began)_

 _I want to thank you for taking in me in two years ago and for giving me a real home, the first real home I have ever had. I know that I never let you see how much this home meant to be, so I will tell you know as I leave it. It meant the world to me. You took in a teenager who was angry at the world and helped her start to respect herself and her life through your suffocating but unconditional love._

 _I respect you even more because you would have willingly stood up to my father to keep me in your home. However, I cannot, no, I will not, allow you to sacrifice yourself for me. I am a more complete person because of both of you and I will never forget how you have changed my life for the better._

 _I love you both,_  
 _Chloe Lane_

"Life is so funny," Chloe said as she shook herself out of her reverie. "I spent two years wishing I could leave that house and now it's the only place I want to be. But I won't let Nancy and Craig become victims of Stefano DiMera."

She closed her eyes as she pictured their reactions to the letter. "Nancy will go all emotional on Craig, crying and screaming, probably scaring the neighbors," Chloe predicted with a fond smile. "Craig will calm her down, putting aside his own feelings to help her. He has always been the rock in her life, Nancy's guiding force. They are such wonderful people. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to realize it."

Chloe sighed again as she contemplated the drastic turn her life had taken. "Brady has always been my rock, my guiding force, even when all we could do was fight. How we fought when we first met! Sometimes I thought Belle would just throw us both out of the penthouse windows to put an end to it." She chuckled in remembrance of the early days with Brady. "Even then, Brady pushed me to challenge myself, to look into my soul and admire and question what I see there. God, what am I going to do? Will he want to be with me anymore?"

There was no answer to that question, just a huge hole in her soul where her heart had recently been. Chloe forgot about the fact that she was currently homeless as she wondered about Brady. Would they be able to deal with this devastating news? Chloe hoped and prayed that they would be able to.

"After all, tomorrow is another day," Chloe quoted the famous line of Scarlett O'Hara from one of the best novels ever written. (Bet you can't guess where I got my name from!) "How could she say that after Rhett, the owner of her heart and soul, left her behind in Atlanta? Will that happen to me?"

Chloe looked down at her luggage, trying to get her mind off of Brady's reaction when he saw her for the first time. "Let's think of another problem," Chloe said as she eyed her luggage. "Where are you going to live now?" She closed her eyes again in resignation.

Greta walked away angrily from the Java Café, carrying a mocha in one hand. She, too, was worried about the drastic direction her life had taken. She tried to act unaware of the fact that people at Salem Place were glancing at her and excitedly pointing her out. "Look!" she heard one woman exclaim in an exaggerated stage whisper. "It's her! Princess Greta, the daughter of that notorious Stefano DiMera!"

People had been reacting to her like this the whole morning. Greta had no clue why, but she was infuriated with the treatment. She tried to ignore it but it was getting harder.

Greta was so engrossed in her thoughts that she nearly missed the forlorn figure sitting alone on the park bench, with luggage lying at her feet. She completed an abrupt stop and walked hurriedly over to her sister. "Chloe!" she exclaimed in concern as she came up to her sister.

Chloe peered from under her eyelashes at Greta, surprised to see her new sister at Salem Place. She didn't really want company; she wanted to be left alone to ponder the mess her life had become in the span of one short day. "Hi," she said without enthusiasm.

Greta sat down on the bench next to her, pointing to the luggage, "What is all this?" she asked in concern.

Chloe's face revealed the despair and loneliness she was trying so valiantly to hide. "It's clothes and a few belongings from my room at the Wesley's."

Greta's eyes showed her impatience as she questioned Chloe, "Why are they here, with you, in Salem Place?" Then, the wrong realization dawned on Greta. "No! Did they kick you out of your house?"

Chloe smiled as she thought of Craig's strong words to Nancy. "No, not at all." She decided to elaborate, believing that Greta might be the only person who would understand right now. "You see, our father," she said with obvious hatred, "couldn't wait to share the news with Nancy and Craig. I overheard him threaten them about me. He wanted me to move out or else he would affect their jobs in some awful way. I heard Craig say that he wouldn't let Stefano threaten them, but I couldn't let them take that chance."

"So you packed everything you needed and left." Greta guessed accurately. "And I bet you left them a note, explaining your decision."

"Of course," Chloe said. "And now I have no where to go."

Greta pulled Chloe to her in a comforting embrace as she said, "Now I am offended! There's no question of where you will go! Of course you will come and stay with me!"

Chloe pulled out of the embrace, looking with wonder at her sister. "Really? You would let me move in with you? But you don't even know me."

Greta replied to Chloe, "You're my little sister, Chloe. Of course I want you to move in with me! We'll have a chance to really get to know each other. God, you are the only positive thing that has come out of this whole mess. I am so thankful that you're my sister."

Chloe shared her first genuine smile with Greta in what seemed like centuries. "Oh my god, a silver lining! I'm glad you're my sister, too."

Greta stood up from the bench and picked up Chloe's suitcases. Chloe reached down and placed her bag over her shoulder. "I'll take you home now," Greta said as she smiled back at Chloe. "Let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Brady hadn't gotten more than an hour of sleep. The replay of the scene last night at Tuscany ran through his mind, over and over again. Brady wished that he could turn back time and have gone after Chloe earlier, instead of demanding proof of Stefano's allegations. "I'm such a jackass!" Brady angrily castigated himself as he walked through Salem Place, looking everywhere for a sign of his perfect soulmate, Chloe Lane. "If I'd gone after Chloe right away, she would be with me now. She'd be safe, comfortable, and secure, and not all alone somewhere. We could go through this together!"

He was running out of ideas where Chloe could be. She was not at the Wesley's, the pier, the gazebo, or any of their other special places. Brady felt like he was running in circles, spinning his tires, always coming back to the place he started at. "I need you, Chloe," he said to himself, "and I know that you need me now more than ever."

He stopped by a store window, surveying the crowd that walked past. He saw a brunette with long, beautiful hair stand up from a bench. Brady's heart leapt with excitement. He quickly started toward the woman. When he was a few steps away, the woman turned around. She quickly picked up her shopping bags and walked on down the path. Brady felt disappointment go straight through him. She was not Chloe.

Phillip and Shawn were walking down the sidewalk of Salem Place, discussing the upcoming basketball game. "You will need to guard their number twenty-four well," Shawn said to Phillip. "He's their best player and highest scored."

"I can do it," Phillip said "immodestly". "Not a doubt in my mind." Shawn laughed at Phillip's "modesty". Phillip started to reply when a strange sight caught his eye. "Hey, man, look at that," Phillip said.

Shawn followed his friend's hand but didn't see anything as he asked, "What? You sound really concerned."

Phillip pointed to the man standing apart from the shopping crowd. He questioned why Brady looked so…frustrated. "Look, it's Brady! And, man, does he look upset!"

Shawn peered in the direction Phillip pointed to, amazed by the sight of the tough Brady Black showing visual signs of vulnerability. "You're right. I wonder why."

Phillip gazed at Shawn in disbelief as he remembered the sensational scene at the ball. "Don't you know?" When Shawn continued to look at him blankly, Phillip continued, "Last night? At the ball?"

Shawn shrugged his shoulders. After the conversation he had overheard between Stefano and his mother, Shawn never wanted to think of that damn ball again. "What? Did him and Chloe get into a huge fight or something?"

"Or something," Phillip said sarcastically. Then, complete understanding dawned on him as he recalled the scene that had pushed Shawn and Belle to depart the ball earlier. "You must have left by the time it happened."

Shawn punched his friend playfully on the shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. "O.k. You've dragged out the suspense long enough. What the hell happened to make Brady look so pissed off?"

"Chloe received the shock of her life last night," Phillip began as he recounted what happened at the ball. Shawn's eyes opened wide as he listened to the surprising tale. "…And then Chloe left the ball. Fled the room is the more accurate term. Brady stayed and tried to attack DiMera. He demanded proof of DiMera's claims, and, sadly, received it. Chloe really is DiMera's daughter."

"Oh, man, that's bad," Shawn said as the information sunk in. "Let's go talk to him." He started toward Brady without waiting for Phillip's response. "Hey Brady," Shawn said when they were closer to him.

Brady turned from his survey of the crowd to greet Shawn and Phillip. Maybe Uncle Phil knows where Chloe is, Brady thought. It's worth a try. "Hey," Brady responded coolly. He wasn't certain how to broach the subject.

"How's Chloe handling the news?" Phillip asked after a few moments of awkward silence. It was always hard when the nephew/uncle came into contact with each other.

Brady shrugged his shoulders as he admitted ruefully, "I don't know. I can't find her." Brady then turned his back on his two relatives. Phillip lightly whispered something to Shawn, who unobtrusively left the two of them alone.

Phillip stepped up to Brady, thinking how weird it was that he wanted to help him through this situation. "We both know Chloe very well," Phillip began as he carefully gauged Brady's reaction to his advice. Brady could take him down quickly and painfully and do some serious damage, so Phillip didn't want to push any buttons.

"And?" Brady responded sarcastically, hiding the worry and pain he felt from Phillip. The last person on earth he wanted advice about Chloe from was his uncle. It had been hard enough to swallow Belle's sympathy this morning. Brady, a very private person, really despised the fact that half of Salem seemed to be aware of his feelings and wanting to comment on them.

"Man, this is awkward," Phillip said to Brady. He used his hands to push back his overly long locks from his face. "Listen. I want to start by saying that I'm happy for you and Chloe. You two have a special thing going. This is not about any remaining jealousy."

"I'm listening," Brady said as he nodded his head at Phillip. He was actively more responsive to Phillip's input. Maybe Phillip had finally grown up a little.

"Chloe loves you, man, in a way she could never love anyone else. She depends on you, Brady, for help with all of her problems. You are her strength. And she's going to need you now more than ever." Phillip paused as a new thought occurred to him. "Are you upset that Chloe is a DiMera?"

Brady felt stunned at this startling conversation he was having with Phillip. "She's still Chloe, Phillip. I don't care that she's a DiMera."

Phillip nodded his head in support. "That's a great start. Now, knowing Chloe, she's upset about this news. She'll want to attempt to come to terms with it by herself. It may take her awhile, but she'll realize sooner or later that she'll need you to help her." Phillip grinned ironically as he continued to offer advice to the man who had won Chloe Lane's heart and soul. "You need to give her some time and space, Brady. That's something I couldn't do, and look where that got us. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Let her come to you."

"God, Phil, I know that you're right. But I can't help feeling that Chloe needs to know that I don't care about Stefano! She needed to know that last night." Brady exclaimed in disgust at himself.

"Tell her that when you see her." Phillip hoped Brady would take his advice. Phillip pushed his scraggly hair out of his eyes again as he continued the conversation. "And then you have to make her believe it."

"Piece of cake," Brady said cockily, praying that he could make Chloe see how he still felt about her. "Now all I've got to do is see her."

Just then, Shawn walked up, carrying three cappuccinos. "Hey, guys," he greeted them, glad to see that there wasn't any blood spilled on the ground before them, "I got us some drinks." He handed them to his relatives.

"Thanks," Brady said as he sipped his drink. "Well, I think I'm going to head home, see if there are any messages."

"Good idea," Phillip agreed. He returned Brady's nod as he walked off towards his "hip and happening" car. "I hope Chloe comes to Brady soon."

Shawn wasn't paying any attention to Phillip. "WHAT THE HELL?" he roared in his best imitation of his uncle, Roman. Shawn stalked up to the newsstand and angrily ripped a tabloid off of the shelf. Phillip paid for it as it looked like Shawn was going to shoplift it.

"What is it?" Phillip asked curiously, wondering what else could possibly have happened in the sleepy town of Salem. Phillip's eyes grew wide with surprise when Shawn showed him the front page. No wonder Shawn is so upset, Phillip thought in sympathy.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Greta watched Chloe as she walked slowly up the stairs to her new room, carrying her suitcases. Greta's heart really went out to her new sister. Then, a loud knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Greta turned around and walked quickly to answer the knock.

"Colin!" Greta exclaimed happily until she saw his expression. She stepped back from the doorway in trepidation. She was extremely nervous about conversing with him. He looked absolutely furious. In her nervousness about this meeting, Greta completely overlooked the fact that Colin was carrying a rolled-up tabloid.

"Princess Greta," Colin spat harshly at her as he brushed by her into Greta's hallway. He bowed disrespectfully to her as he closed the door behind him with a loud click. "I congratulate you, I really do," Colin continued mockingly as Greta stared at him with mute shock. "You certainly played me for a fool. Another Brady downed by a DiMera."

"No," Greta denied heatedly as she realized the full extent of Colin's anger and the reasons behind it, "it wasn't like that! Colin, I…"

Colin angrily interrupted her as he laughed harshly. "You can make all the excuses you want, but the truth remains. You knew you were that man's daughter! And you kept it from me!"

Greta tried to validate her reasons for keeping her father's identity a secret. "Knowing I am Stefano DiMera's daughter is tough. I haven't been able to come to terms with it myself! How could I expect you to?"

"Instead you merely hid that little bit of information from me! Fuck, if I had known this, I would never have given you a second look! I'd have known you for the heartless bitch you are!" Colin's true fury was revealed as he glared at her.

Greta's face revealed her ravaged emotions as she tried to respond and overcome Colin's anger. "Why are you acting this?" she asked bravely, momentarily overlooking the horrible (and undeserved) name he had called her.

Colin whirled around on the woman he had recently pledged his undying love to. "I can't believe the stupidity you just revealed to me with that remark! I shouldn't even justify it with an answer, but…here goes." He continued to gaze at the beautiful princess with disdainful disgust is his eyes. "You are the product of Stefano DiMera, the man who has caused my family incredible pain and heartbreak. You are that man's daughter! You perpetrated a deep deception on me and all of Salem by keeping that knowledge a secret."

Colin paced furiously through the hallway as Greta watched, stunned speechless by his anger and insensitivity. "Shit, and to think that I actually believed I loved you! That's no longer true. There's no way I could ever look at any DiMera without disgust and hatred. No DiMera is ever innocent. You're all evil, clear to the bone."

Greta made a move to touch his arm in order to prevent his hurried pacing and try to reach him, but he was far, far beyond it. Colin responded by flinging her hand off of him. "Don't touch me!" he hissed at her, his teeth bared at her in a snarl. "I can't stand being touched by a damn DiMera!"

"Colin…" Greta tried again to reach him through his anger, hoping to salvage something of their relationship.

Colin sneered at her again. "You must have thought that I was such a fool! Falling in love with DiMera's daughter! I bet you planned it." He nodded in satisfaction, a cold look entering his eyes. "I can see it now. Your father used you as another way to hurt a Brady. Well, it didn't work, Princess!"

Chloe watched the ugly scene unfold below her, shocked at the amount of insensitivity Colin was displaying to Greta. She wanted to go down there and kick his ass, but she thought she should stay out of it, for now. I'll help her when this is over, Chloe thought as she continued to view the scene with mounting concern.

Greta was so in shock at Colin's awful behavior to her that she didn't know how to react. "Colin,…" she tried again. The phone started to ring shrilly but Greta ignored it due to her shock at Colin's uncalled for behavior.

"What can you say?" Colin sneered at her again. "You proved that you are a DiMera at the deception you played on me and all of Salem. You are exactly like your father!" Colin then flung the tabloid he had been holding on the floor. "And now Salem knows it, too."

Colin stomped to the door as he glanced over his shoulder at the devastated princess. "By the way," he said as he opened the door, "we're over." He closed the door louder to punctuate his meaning.

Greta felt the tears start to finally flow freely over her face as the numbness began to wear off. She hugged her arms to herself tightly as she sank to the ground, letting out loud sobs.

Chloe hurriedly sprinted down the stairs to her sister. She was shocked at the amount of insensitivity Colin Murphy had displayed. What an asshole, she thought as she neared her quivering sister. Chloe kneeled down beside Greta, holding her tightly to her as Greta released her heartache in loud sobs.

Greta turned into her sister's embrace, grateful for her support. "I didn't hide it; I didn't!" Greta tearfully explained to Chloe. "Why couldn't he see that I'm the victim here, not him? Why couldn't he see?" Greta could feel the recent love she had so enjoyed feeling begin to dissipate into thin air.

Chloe hugged her tighter, not sure what she should say to Greta. Chloe stared off into the distance, remembering how happy Greta had been last night when they met in the women's restroom. "He's wrong," she said finally as Greta's sobs started to subside. "Completely wrong. Greta, you did nothing wrong here. Nothing! That man is an insensitive a hole!"

Greta smiled slightly through her drying tears. "He certainly proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt, didn't he?" She brought her hand up to wipe her tears from her eyes. "Damn, my taste in men is awful!"

Greta then looked deeply into Chloe's eyes, shocked to see the concern reflected in them. I am not the only one that's been destroyed, Greta thought, and she took a deep breath. "You're right, Chloe. And he is wrong. Totally wrong. We may have DiMera blood running through us, but that's all. Our hearts are pure."

Chloe stood up and assisted Greta up from the floor. "Come on." Chloe said as she led her devastated sister to the kitchen. "I'll go make you some tea." Neither one noticed the tabloid that Colin had thrown in fury on the floor.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Brady couldn't believe it. He had finally found Chloe! He slowly walked up to her, unable to believe his eyes. The gazebo was the perfect setting for Chloe's unusual beauty. "Chloe, oh god, I…" Brady was stunned speechless by Chloe. She didn't react, just looked at him out of her extremely large sapphire eyes. He reached for her and pulled her to him, repeating over and over, "I love you, I love you, I love you." Finally, Brady turned Chloe's face up to his to receive his soul-searching kiss. They were interrupted by an incessant pounding nearby. "What the hell?" Brady murmured as he looked up from Chloe.

Brady suddenly sat up from his bed, extremely disoriented. "Chloe?" he questioned, looking around for her. Then, realization sunk in. She wasn't here. It had just been a dream, a wonderful, tortuous dream. Brady dropped back onto his pillows, wondering if he would ever see his Diva again.

Brady broke out of his reverie when he heard loud voices downstairs. "Now what's going on?" Brady wondered as he pulled himself off of his bed. Before he exited the room, Brady glanced one more time at his bed, praying that his dream would really come true.

"Calm down," Marlena was saying soothingly to someone as Brady headed down the stairs. "Take it slow. Now, tell us again. What has happened?"

"Come on over," Brady heard Belle to someone on the phone as he passed her door. "I'm sorry, Shawn. I've got to go. Something's going on downstairs." Belle hung up the phone and raced out of her room. "Brady!" she whispered loudly to him as she met him in the hallway between their bedrooms. "What on earth is going on?"

Brady turned to face his sister, a worried expression on his face. "Tink, I don't know. Let's go find out." The two hurried down the Belle met Brady before they reached the landing. They peered down into their living to witness a very distraught Nancy and an upset Craig explaining something to their parents.

"Maybe it's about Chloe!" Belle said as she followed Brady down the curving stairs. She was aware that Brady still hadn't been contacted by Chloe. She was starting to feel very annoyed at her best friend for allowing Brady to experience such anguish. "I hope they know where she is!"

Brady turned as he neared the last step and looked meaningfully into his sister's eyes. "I know."

Brady and Belle joined the chaos of the foursome as Nancy and Craig both tried to explain what had happened earlier this morning.

"Calm down," Marlena repeated. "Take a deep breath. John, will you please recap for Brady and Belle what the Wesleys have told us so far?" Marlena asked her husband as she noticed their entrance into the chaos.

Nancy glanced hopefully at Brady, ready to anxiously ask him about Chloe. Craig knew her well. He put a restraining arm on her before she could go off into another round of hysterics in the Black's living room. Granted, she had every right to be hysterical. But, they needed to calm down if they were going to solve this problem.

"Let me get this straight," John began as he noted Belle's and Brady's arrival into their group. "An official from the adoption agency visited you this morning and reported that Chloe was not your daughter." Nancy nodded tearfully. She opened her mouth to expound on his statement but Craig stopped her again. "After she left…"

Nancy interrupted uselessly, "Craig threw her out."

John held onto his patience with effort. "All right. After Craig threw her out, DiMera came by. He wanted to see Chloe, but she wasn't there."

"DiMera went to your house?" Brady asked incredulously to the Wesleys. "Man, he has some nerve."

"That's not even the beginning of it," Craig said. "We haven't told you everything yet."

"No, we haven't told you what that awful man did! He…" Nancy was about to begin a very longwinded dialogue.

Craig interrupted his wife gently, knowing her tendency to exaggerate anything. He wanted to make this as simple as possible, for them and the Blacks. "Let me tell what happened." Nancy stopped but nodded her head agreement. "When we told him Chloe wasn't at home, he dropped veiled threats to us. He wanted us to make Chloe leave our house for good."

All of the Blacks' faces dropped in amazement. "Oh my god!" Brady exclaimed in astonishment. "That man is truly evil!"

"We couldn't believe it either. Of course, we wouldn't let Chloe leave. That's her home." Then, Craig took a deep breath as he replayed the worse part of the scenario. "Chloe must have heard what had happened. We never saw her, though. Nancy went up about an hour ago to check her room again. We were hoping Chloe had snuck in. Anyway, most of Chloe's things were gone and we found this letter on her bed." Craig handed the letter to John.

Brady leaned over John's shoulder as he read the first communication he had access to since Chloe's world had been destroyed. When they finished reading the letter, John passed it to Marlena and Belle. Marlena fluttered her eyes dramatically while she read the letter. "Oh, no!" she breathed. "Do you have any idea where she could be?"

Nancy looked tearfully at Craig before she said hesitatingly, "We were hoping Brady or Belle might know."

Belle looked up sadly from the letter. "I haven't talked to Chloe since last night at the ball. I don't know where she is."

Brady also admitted, "I've been looking for her all over Salem, but I haven't found a trace of her yet." He couldn't help feeling that he needed to find Chloe, fast, before something else happened to her.

"I think I might have an idea," John said as a light bulb went off in his head. He remembered that Greta had gone after Chloe. "I'm gonna go make a call." John left the group and headed towards his study, without any explanation.

There was a loud knock at the door. It startled the group that was huddled in the living room. "Oh, that's Shawn!" Belle exclaimed as she remembered their earlier conversation. She ran towards the door, opening it quickly, revealing an angry boyfriend.

"Hey, Belle," Shawn said as he entered the room. A surprised look came over his face when he surveyed all of the people in the room. He carried a tabloid in his hands.

Belle noticed the tabloid. Maybe that's what's got him all upset, she thought as she said, "Come on in and join the party."

John came out of the study as Shawn greeted the other people in the room. "I didn't get an answer," he began as all eyes turned to him. He held up his hand to ward off the questions he could almost visually see tripping off of Nancy's tongue. "I could Greta's house to see if Chloe was with her. I left a message. Greta'll call back."

"That could be where she is," Brady said as he, too, remembered how Greta had promised to take care of Chloe last night. Then he noticed the tabloid in Shawn's hands. "What's that?" he asked curiously.

Shawn answered bitterly, "You really don't want to know." He handed it over to Brady anyway.

Brady looked quizzically at Shawn as Bray accepted the tabloid. Belle, Marlena, and John looked eagerly over Brady's shoulder as he looked at the front page of the tabloid, "Private Eyes." "OH MY GOD!" Brady exclaimed loudly. Could things get any worse? he wondered. John, Marlena, and Belle looked at each other worriedly as they eyed the tabloid.

"What is it?" Nancy asked as Brady grimly handed her the tabloid. "Oh, Craig…." she began as she, too, was shocked by the headlines.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

An evil laugh came from behind the man as he read the magazine in front of him. Things couldn't be going along any better, he thought with cruel satisfaction as he perused the contents of the infamous tabloid. He picked up a glass of brandy as he continued to enjoy his next victory.

The door opened to his study, and in walked his daughter, cruel happiness exuding from her expression. "Father!" Lexi exclaimed as she approached him at his desk. She carried something under her arm. "I was at Salem Place earlier and look what I found!" She held up a copy of the tabloid, "Private Eyes", for his inspection.

Stefano laughed again. He was feeling supremely confident in his maneuvers right now. Greta and Chloe were aware of his relationship to him, all of Salem now knew, Hope continued to be seriously estranged from her family, Chloe was out of the Wesley house…The list could go on and on. His objective was to alienate Chloe and Greta from all of Salem. He included Hope in his scheme in order to please Lexi. Lexi wanted Hope completely and totally shattered, and Stefano was more than willing to assist in her desire.

"It's amazing," Lexi said as she smiled triumphantly at her father. "I can't believe that the story has hit the press so soon. Wow, this is really going to affect Chloe, Greta and Hope. They'll be lucky if anyone in Salem wants to associate with them!"

"Lexi, Lexi, Lexi," Stefano chided his daughter softly. "I can't believe that you think the tabloid happened by accident. I arranged for it all, with a hefty payment to the owner of the "Private Eyes." He was extremely grateful I came to him for the story and was more than willing to allow me to have the final say on the story. He even brought me the first copy early this morning, hot off of the press."

Lexi smiled admiringly at her father. "I should have known!" she said happily. "This is going to be the final nail in Hope Brady's coffin. I only wish I could be the one to give her this wonderful piece of journalism!"

Stefano placed his finger on the picture of Hope on the front cover. She hadn't been his prime target, but he would do anything for the happiness of his family. "This should definitely cause Hope unending heartbreak. Her son, Shawn, will never want to look at her again. And, Bo, well, any chance at reconciliation has completely disappeared."

Lexi gracefully perched herself on the edge of her father's desk. She leaned over and gently kissed his cheek. Greta and Chloe don't know how lucky they are to have him as a father, she thought in twisted admiration. "I am so grateful! My mission in life is to make Hope Brady's life a living hell! This should definitely do it." She fingered the headline above her Hope's face.

Stefano pointed to the picture of Chloe and Greta underneath the headline, "Salem Royalty! Revealed at last night's Christmas Ball…" The photographer had caught the exact expression of shock and horror on their faces as Stefano had revealed his news to them. "Greta and Chloe will not be able to hide from their true identity now," Stefano pointed out with obvious pleasure. "Greta has denied my right to her for too long. She will never be able to anymore." He trailed his finger as the headline continued above Hope's face. It read, "…As their father's ex-lover looks on."

"Father, you are absolutely brilliant!" Lexi said proudly. "You will achieve your objective in no time at all." She sighed as she happily contemplated the anguish her ex-best friend would soon be feeling. "I would love to see the expression on Hope's face when she reads this. Her life will be completely ruined! Shawn or Bo will want nothing to do with her. I doubt if any Brady will. Oh, what sheer bliss!"

Stefano watched his daughter fondly. She was a true DiMera, an asset to the family name. "I can barely wait to see what happens next."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Hope knocked on the door to Greta's house. When she didn't receive an answer, she said quietly, "Hmmm. Greta must be home. Her car is in the driveway." She experimentally tried the door handle. The door opened easily as Hope poked her head through the doorway. "Greta?" she called questioningly as she entered her house. She closed the door behind her. "Anyone home?"

Chloe called loudly in response to Hope. "We're in the kitchen, Mrs. Brady."

Hope's eyebrow arched as she heard Chloe's voice. I guess I shouldn't be surprised Chloe's here again, she thought as she walked to the kitchen door. Hope walked through the kitchen door and stopped in surprise. "What on earth…" she said as she took in Greta's ravaged features.

"Oh, Hope," Greta said pitifully as tears welled up in her eyes again. "You'll never believe what just happened here! It was the most awful thing!" Greta then started to sob tearfully again. Chloe patted her shoulders as she looked at Hope with sorrow in her eyes.

Hope dropped her purse on the floor and kneeled down on the floor, meeting Greta squarely in the eyes. "Oh, honey, what happened?"

Greta tried to stop sobbing as she said, "Colin…was..here…"

Chloe stood up from her stool and made eye contact with Hope. I'll let her talk to you privately, she communicated to Hope with her eyes. Hope nodded in understanding as she continued to sooth Greta.

Chloe leaned against the kitchen door after it closed behind her. "One day," she murmured quietly to herself, "one day has completely ruined our lives." She started away from the door, intent on collecting her bags from the top of the staircase and unpacking in her new room when something caught her eye.

"What on earth?" she asked inquisitively as she bent to retrieve the tabloid that Colin had flung furiously on the floor. She opened it curiously. Chloe's eyes widened in anger as she took in the sensational headlines. "What the hell is this?" she exclaimed angrily.

Chloe and Greta's faces were caught in an expression of complete shock at the moment Stefano revealed his news to them. The Blacks were in the background, looking on with dawning horror at the drama Stefano had enacted for all of Salem. Chloe's eyes focused on Brady's face, which showed both his anger at Stefano and his astonishment at the news. Chloe's finger traced his face lovingly as she wondered aloud, "What are thinking now, Brady? I'm too much of a coward to find out. What if you hate me now? I don't think I could live with that."

Then, Chloe's eyes traveled to the inset next to the article. "Oh god!" she breathed out as she reacted to the words above Hope Brady's face. "…As their father's ex-lover looks on."

"Oh, god, oh god, oh god," Chloe repeated in an expression of horror. She thought about the courageous Hope Brady and how much this news was going to devastate her. Then, she thought about Shawn and his father. How would they react to this piece of news, spread out in this ugly fashion?

Chloe turned slowly and looked at the kitchen door. Should she show it to them now? She wondered, weighing the pros and the cons. She closed her eyes in resignation as she realized they both HAD to know now, not later. At least if they knew about this news, they could prepare themselves to face the world of Salem.

Chloe entered the kitchen door, surveying the scene in front of her. Hope was at the stove, making tea for Greta. Greta held on tightly to a tissue, which she was starting to shred in a display of nervousness.

"That man is an asshole!" Hope angrily stated as she clanked the teakettle loudly on the stove. "He had NO RIGHT to treat you that way, Greta. None of this is your fault. Damn him!"

"In my head, I know you're right," Greta agreed tearfully. "But my heart! Oh, my heart hurts so much right now, more than it ever hurt over anyone else. Eric, Austin or Jack."

Chloe was loath to enter the scene but she knew she had to, sooner or later. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said slowly.

Both Greta and Hope turned to face her. "You're not interrupting," Greta exclaimed. "This is your home now." Hope arched her eyebrow in surprise, so Greta quickly explained. "Stefano threatened Nancy and Craig, so Chloe moved out."

"Really? The Wesleys made you leave their home over this?" Hope asked, completely misunderstanding the situation. "That wasn't very thoughtful of them."

Chloe shook her head negatively. "No, no, that's not what happened. They didn't want me to leave. I left because I didn't want them to become my father's target." She fairly spat the word "father" out of her mouth.

"Sacrifice," Greta said philosophically. "All three of us are truly beginning to understand that word." Each briefly reflected on the sacrifices Stefano had forced them to into so very recently.

"Anyway," Chloe said, breaking into their depressing thoughts, "Dr. Murphy left something here. I don't really want to show it to you, but, dammit, we all really need to see it." Chloe walked over to the kitchen counter and laid the tabloid on it for Greta and Chloe to read.

Hope's eyes widened with absolutely livid fury as she read the headlines. "Dammit!" she yelled in frustration as she realized the importance of the headline. "I canNOT believe this! Where does this rag get off printing this sh t!"

Greta's hand covered her mouth in horror at the next disaster that had come into their lives in the short manner of twenty-four hours. "My god!" she gasped as she looked into their eyes. "Who would do something like this?"

The answer came readily to Hope's mind. "That damn DiMera!" she answered, wishing he was here so she could inflict some serious bodily harm on him. "He's trying to ruin our lives!"

"He's doing one hell of a job," Chloe said. "With the rate he's going, no one in Salem will want to be seen with us, let alone talk to us. With every move he makes, he's alienating us from the people we love even more."

"I HATE that man!" Greta said emphatically as she realized the veracity of Chloe's statement.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Chloe woke up in her new bed the next morning, a bit disoriented about her location. "What…?" she asked groggily as she sat up, stretching her arms widely and yawning. And then it hit her. Stefano's threats against Craig and Nancy, Colin's tirade against Greta, the ugly tabloid story targeting her, Greta, and Hope…She flopped back down on the bed, wondering if she really wanted to face another day in unpredictable Salem. "My life feels like a soap opera!" she exclaimed as she punched her pillow hard.

After Hope and Greta read the tabloid last night, the three of them had been pretty dejected. Hope had stayed late, and the three women tried hard to comfort each other, but it had been a losing battle. Later on in the night, Greta had checked her phone messages. Chloe had listened in shock when John Black's voice came on, wondering if Greta knew where Chloe was.

Chloe had begged Greta to tell John that she didn't know anything about Chloe's location. When Greta returned John's phone call, Greta had admitted that Chloe had stayed with her the night of the ball, but that she hadn't seen her since. Chloe knew that, if Greta had told John, Brady would have been over there in a New York minute. After witnessing Colin's horrible accusations to Greta and reading the ugly tabloid story, Chloe wasn't certain if she was ready to face Brady yet. She still felt too emotionally disturbed. And small part of Chloe wondered if Brady would react like Colin did, completely blaming her for this mess. She wasn't ready to find out.

An idea popped into Chloe's head. At first she dismissed it as she looked up at the ceiling but the idea suddenly had more allure. "I know exactly what I am going to do today!" Chloe said as she jumped out of bed excitedly. "I'm going to start putting my life back together!" And hopefully be able to talk to Brady afterwards, she added silently, when I have finally been able to settle this!

An hour later, Chloe approached the impressive door in front of her. She breathed deeply before knocking on it. "This is it! No time for second thoughts now," she whispered as the door opened promptly.

Illeanna met the young woman in front of her with a blank stare. Then, when she realized who was in front of her, her eyes widened. "Miss Lane!" she greeted her, secretly hoping that the young woman would turn around and run as far as her feet could carry her away from this house. This was not the best place for her to be. She knew exactly what Stefano DiMera was capable of, and wished this young innocent far away from her place of employment.

The corners of Chloe's mouth pulled up into a travesty of a smile as she cocked her head to one side. "Hello," she said in response. Chloe waited patiently on the doorstep.

Illeanna blocked the door, not wanting to let the young woman in.

"Illeanna?" Lexi called as she came down the steps. "Who is at the door?"

Too late, Illeanna thought, as she answered the annoying daughter of her employer, "It is Miss Lane."

The widening of Lexi's eyes was the only thing that revealed Lexi's shock as she quickly composed the rest of her face. She pushed Illeanna aside roughly and said, "Well, this certainly is a surprise! Come in, Chloe."

Chloe eyed Lexi warily at the semi-warm greeting she had received. She had expected Lexi to demand that she leave the premises. Chloe entered the large hallway, while Illeanna closed the door behind. "I had to come," Chloe said simply in her defense to her half sister.

Lexi stood close to her sister, watching her closely. Why is she here? she pondered as she tried to make conversation with her. "I definitely did not expect you to come here today," Lexi began, trying to probe for the reason why Chloe was here.

Chloe met Lexi's gaze unfailingly. "No, I don't suppose you did." Then she turned from Lexi, gazing around the inside of the mansion. "Beautiful home," she commented slightly.

"Father designed it," Lexi said proudly. She had also inherited the love of possessing lovely and unique things from her father, as well as his manipulative streak. "He loves to have beautiful and exotic things around him."

Chloe turned back to Lexi, the woman she blamed for ruining Hope Brady's life. And she is my half sister! she thought in concealed disgust. "I suppose he does," she said evenly. On her way over here, Chloe had decided that the only way she could explain to Stefano that she would NEVER be his daughter was calmly and rationally. "Is he here?"

Lexi's eyes widened again, this time completely revealing her shock. "You have come to see our father?" she asked in disbelief. What a turn of events! Lexi thought that Stefano would have to had force Chloe to come to him!

"Believe it or not, I have. There is a lot I need to say to him." Chloe would not, ever, refer to that man as her father. In one short day, he had caused her more heartache than her life with her foster families and in the orphanage. He had also caused so much pain to many people that she cared deeply for. She would not be his pawn in his evil games, and she wanted to make that clear to him. She believed she was ready to corner the lion in his den.

"I'll take you to his study," Lexi said in surprise. I can't wait to find out what happens next! Lexi thought, wondering what would happen when Chloe met with their father. And I'll bet anything that Father knew she would come to him, Lexi concluded as Chloe followed silently in her wake.

Lexi knocked lightly on Stefano's partially open door. "Father?" she said inquiringly. "You have a visitor."

Stefano looked up from his desk as Lexi pushed the door open more. "I love visitors," he said to Lexi. He had a terrific guess about who would be admitted into his den shortly. And he was right as Chloe entered his domain.

Come into my lair, said the spider to the fly! Stefano thought in triumph as she came in. He couldn't have been more pleased. I predicted she would seek me out later, Stefano thought. My daughter has managed to surprise me!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Have a seat," Stefano invited his surprising visitor as he motioned for Lexi to leave them alone. Lexi did, with an annoying look at her father. She wanted to find out right away about this visit, but she did as her father did, as usual, and closed the door behind her on the meeting between father and daughter.

"I'd rather stand," Chloe challenged in a small show of defiance. She intently studied the man who had caused so much damage to her, as well as many people in Salem. "The Phoenix", she mused, the man who rises from the ashes! Hope had filled her and Greta in on more of Stefano's history last night.

"Then we shall stand!" Stefano agreed jovially, extremely excited about this visit. He had the outcome of this visit already calculated. She will do what I want, one way or another, he thought as he concealed a secretly triumphant smile. He would prefer his first option. But, Stefano was ever resilient and resourceful. If she wouldn't fall for his first plan, there was always the backup.

Chloe watched her father as he stood up from behind his desk and walked towards her. Her first instinct was to step back, but she knew she would need to stand her ground against him. Chloe stood tall and firm as she searched for the best way to begin this conversation. "Why did you reveal your identity to me at the ball, in front of Salem?" she finally began, deciding to put Stefano on the defense.

It didn't work. "I want you to accept me as your father," Stefano started to explain. "Greta has had two years to accept me. Instead, she has hidden it, acting ashamed of her heritage. I decided I would not give you that same opportunity, my dear. Both you and Greta need to face the truth, to yourselves and before all of Salem."

He was agreeing with the plan Hope and Greta had unraveled the other night. Not a surprise, Chloe thought. "So, you decide to force Greta and I, in public, to come to terms with our "heritage"?"

Stefano nodded in agreement as he moved a chess piece on the game board, his favorite pastime. "Of course. I did not want you to hide the knowledge, not from anyone. That is the reason why I disclosed it in such a public manner."

"You really don't care about us, do you?" Chloe inquired bravely, trying to get Stefano to reveal his hidden emotions.

It worked. Stefano's eyes blazed as he looked at his youngest daughter, who was staring defiantly back at him. "Never doubt my feelings for you or your sister. You're mine. And I will do anything to make you realize that."

Chloe didn't know where this courage was coming from. Probably from emotion Brady had helped her reveal. Just thinking of Brady made her feel stronger. She laughed in DiMera's face. "You have messed up my life, Stefano!" she said sneeringly. "I will never acknowledge you as my father!"

Stefano calmed down, chalking her words down to the foolishness of youth. "I wonder about that, Chloe, my dear. I have been able to get my other children to turn to me for, ah, assistance. They were equally stubborn at first. What makes you so different?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I happen to value truth, integrity, and honor!" She fairly yelled at him. "I have been pushed around so much in my life. I will NOT be pushed around by you, of all people." Chloe stopped to get her breath as she continued, "I despise you, and the pain you have caused me, and so many people I know and care about. You are pure evil!" With that, Chloe turned to flounce in anger out of the room.

Stefano stopped her by placing his hand on her shoulder. Chloe recoiled at his touch and shook his hand off of her. "Learn to speak to me with respect," he warned her chillingly. "I will make some allowances for your behavior, but not many."

Chloe eyed this evil man who was her father with disdain as she pressed back against the closed door. It felt good to feel the hard, solid wood against her back as the monster who was her father gazed at her with concealed anger. "Respect? Respect? How can I show you respect? You have threatened my parents, destroyed Hope Brady and her family, leaked that awful story to the tabloids, and caused unending pain to so many people! How can I respect you?" she repeated angrily.

Stefano's eyes glinted at his impetuous daughter. Maybe it won't be so easy bending her to my will, he thought. But then he smiled slightly at her. The smile sent chills up and down Chloe's spine. If she won't accept my first option, there is always my backup plan. "Really, Chloe, I would watch what you say to me." He held up his hand to silence her when he saw that she was ready to perform another tirade. "Stop, and listen to what I have to say."

Stefano picked up a pawn from the board, a sign of what he was about to make Chloe become. He would rather have had her as a partner, more of a queen, but he was willing to sacrifice her in his game. So young, brave, and incredibly stupid and foolish, he thought as he contemplated her response. "What is your biggest dream, my dear?" he asked in all innocence.

Chloe's face revealed her surprise at the abrupt change of subject. "That has no bearing on this conversation!" she insisted, not wanting to reveal her inner dreams to this man.

"No matter," Stefano mused as he twirled the pawn in between his fingers. "I remember that night in Europe very well. When you sang opera for me? I was very pleased when I found out you were my daughter later on. That night touched me. I am proud that my daughter," he stressed slightly, "is so talented." He nodded in satisfaction when Chloe closed her eyes in recollection of that night. "Your biggest dream and desire in this whole world is to become a successful opera singer."

Chloe did not show the truth of this statement to DiMera. She was beginning to doubt the intelligence of coming here, to face her father, alone. When have I ever been this stupidly impulsive? she wondered, a little too late.

Stefano began to dangle the carrot in front of her, the same carrot he had used on all of his children. "Opera means everything to you. What would you say if I could get you into any music school you would like? You definitely have the talent to become a huge sensation. Of course, after your rude behavior today, I would need an incentive from you." He briefly pondered what that incentive would be as he snapped his fingers when the idea hit him. "Of course! I would see that you get into any music school you like. Your talent will take care of your success. In return for one small thing."

Chloe wondered where this was leading, so she prompted Stefano when he paused dramatically and continued to play with the pawn from the game, "Oh? And what would that be?"

Stefano smiled in pure pleasure as she moved closer to his trap. "You would simply need to accept my name, nothing more or less. Become a DiMera, and I will open the music world to you. Chloe DiMera! What a nice ring to that name!"

Chloe could feel a cherished dream start to diminish at the cruel hands of her father. She would never accept his offer. "And if I'd rather be a Lane?"

This time, Stefano smiled in fake sympathy. "Then, my dear, you will receive rejection at every turn. No one will accept you, even though you do have that amazing voice. You will never be able to train that magnificent voice of yours. Or share it with the public. I will make certain of it."

Chloe closed herself to her disappointment as she managed a small, cynical laugh. "Basically, I would have to sell my soul to you, in order to get what I want! Sorry, Stefano, but no dice! I am not as weak as Lexi. I'm not willing to give myself up to you." She turned to leave again, hoping this would be the end of this disastrous encounter. I won't think of the end of my dream, not right now, Chloe thought wildly as she tried valiantly to compose herself. She didn't want to fall apart in front of this man.

"I am not really surprised, Chloe," he said mournfully when she reached for the door, purposefully waiting for Chloe to think she would be getting away with only one dream damaged. "So you refuse to become a DiMera. I am not too surprised. I realize that you are very strong. You would never fall for my offer of assistance." On to plan b, he thought, contemplating the next few minutes. Chloe Lane was about to learn exactly who she was dealing with, he thought with satisfaction. I would have preferred my first option, but I am flexible. Stefano's eyes watched Chloe's movements like a hawk.

Chloe's hand was on the doorknob. She almost stopped but opened the door. She was nearly out of the door when Stefano murmured, as if to himself, "Of course, I wonder if Brady and the rest of the Blacks will be able to survive what I have planned for them."

True fury erupted in Chloe's eyes as she whirled around angrily. The death of her dream was forgotten at this new threat. She stalked over to her father and ordered him, "Stay the HELL away from Brady and his family!"

"How will you stop me from doing what I want?" Stefano goaded his daughter, leading her blindly towards her pitfall.

"Dammit, I will not let you hurt them!" she yelled furiously at him, her eyes shooting serious sparks at him. "I'll stop you from it, I swear I will!"

So easy to manipulate, Stefano thought with satisfaction, when something that is really important is at stake. Stefano enjoyed her show of bravado. "Oh? And what can you, little Chloe Lane, do to stop me?"

"Anything!" Chloe continued to yell at him recklessly. "I'll do anything to make you leave that wonderful family alone!"

Stefano continued to roll the pawn between his fingers as Chloe became his unwitting next one. He felt bad about sacrificing his daughter, but she was completely closed off to him. Stefano was very resourceful and realistic, so he knew exactly what role he wanted Chloe to fill now that she had completely rejected him, at the expense of her singing career. "I have an idea. Yes, this might work. How much do you care for Brady Black?"

Chloe answered rashly and recklessly, unaware of the trapdoor that was about to spring on her, "I love him! I will not let you hurt him or his family!" She slammed her hands down on the top of his desk to punctuate her feelings.

Stefano smiled slightly at his angry daughter. "Let's make a deal," he said in a parody of Monty Hall, waving his hands in the air. He laughed when he saw the wariness enter her eyes and thought, Too late now, my love. You're mine. Whether you want to be or not. "I am perfectly capable of releasing mayhem on the fine Black family, as you have witnessed firsthand for yourself. However, I will prevent the mayhem if you do one tiny, insignificant thing."

"What?" Chloe snapped back at her father. She had experienced the devastation Stefano DiMera could so easily cause, but she was unprepared for the next step in his plan. "Accept your name? I don't think so."

"No," Stefano said as he waved his hand in the air again, "the ship has sailed on that one. It's quite simple, really, just a small sacrifice on your part." A satisfied gleam showed in his eyes as he watched his youngest daughter, standing in proud fury in front of him. He paused before he continued, "Very small. All I want you to do is cut all ties with Brady Black. No daughter of mine will ever date a Black."

Shock coursed through Chloe's body as the words Stefano said penetrated her mind. She shook her head violently and rejected the idea vehemently as she covered her mouth with her hand, "No! I could never do that!"

Stefano nodded his head in resignation and sighed deeply, "Then I guess I will have to implement my plan. It shouldn't take too long before I ruin their lives. And think, Chloe, you could have prevented it with a small sacrifice on your part. Farewell, Chloe, my dear." Stefano turned around to hide his Cheshire cat smile. He knew what Chloe would do next. So predictable, he thought with evil satisfaction.

Stefano's words struck Chloe on a vulnerable spot. She knew how Stefano could affect someone's life, quickly and deadly, like the bite of a rattlesnake. She mentally reviewed the pain he had caused her, Greta, and Hope so rapidly and recently. "I won't let him do that to Brady and his family!" she whispered fervently as she came to a decision, the hardest decision in her life. "I'll do it," she said brokenly, unknowingly revealing her heartache to Stefano through the tremors in her voice.

Stefano glanced back at her, satisfaction written clearly across his face. "Good." After Chloe left the room, he placed the pawn on the board. "Checkmate!" he said merrily, uncaring that he had completely crushed his youngest daughter.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Chloe paced the pier in agitation, wondering how she was going to get through the next hour. She flashbacked to the telephone conversation that had occurred with Brady earlier this afternoon when she finally had called him from Greta's empty house. Chloe had been very grateful that Greta and Hope had not been at the house when she returned. She didn't have to share with them Stefano's latest, and most devastating attack, on her life.

"Hello?" Brady said as he answered his phone. He sounded hopeful on the phone, like he was waiting for her, and only her, to call.

"Brady?" Chloe asked, feeling overjoyed at hearing his voice, even though she knew that in awhile she would be the most heartbroken person on this earth. But, for now, she could pretend that everything would be all right.

Brady's surprise and delight came through the phone line as he exclaimed, "Chloe! Oh my god, Chloe! I can't believe it…I've been looking for your everywhere!"

"Really, Brady?" Chloe asked, surprised that he had been seeking her out. He wouldn't have cared! she realized with blinding clarity. Oh god! "I'm sorry for making you worry. I've had a lot on my mind."

She's ready to come to me, Brady thought in pure bliss, remembering the advice Phillip, of all people, had given him about Chloe. Finally! his heart breathed happily. "Chloe, we can get through this," he began assuring her, wanting her to understand that he would stand beside her through this whole mess. "God, I want to see you so much right now! It's been hell not being able to talk to you, to see you. And to find out how you're feeling."

Chloe fingered the necklace he had given her the night of the ball for strength. Oh, this is going to be so hard! she thought as she put some enthusiasm into her voice. "I know what you mean, Brady," she couldn't resist adding, even though she knew she would end up hurting him more with that revelation.

"Where are you?" Brady asked anxiously. "I want to see you, now." He was eager to hold her, to kiss her, to let her know how much she meant to him. Then he would scold her for the worry and anxiety she had put him, and her friends and family, through while she had dealt with this blow alone.

"I can't right now," Chloe said without expanding on it. "Why don't we meet this evening, at the pier. Say, around 7:00?" Chloe felt like a coward for putting this off, but she wanted a few more hours of being Brady's treasured girlfriend, even if it was only in her mind. She also believed in symmetry. She and Brady had unofficially started on the pier. It was a logical place for them to end.

Brady was so joyful he would have agreed to anything. For the first time in their relationship, he did not pick up on the weird vibes coming from Chloe, his soulmate. "Our special spot?" he assumed when she suggested the pier. "You know, where we first met? And where we sang "The Marriage of Figaro"?"

"Of course," Chloe said, disguising her sorrow with forced cheerfulness. That is where we began, she thought again. Symmetry.

"I love you, so much," Brady said as he was about to hang up. Chloe hung up slowly before she could respond to his statement. She couldn't respond to his declaration. If she did, it would only make Brady hurt even more later on tonight. She held the phone to her cheek, and whispered, "I love you, too, Brady, more than you will ever know."

"He'll be here soon," Chloe whispered to the night air after she had remembered the phone conversation. Chloe continued to stare out at the water, nervously waiting for the first time she would see Brady since that disastrous evening that had sent her life into an unstoppable tailspin. She began to prepare herself to sacrifice her love, her heart, and her soul for the future happiness of Brady and his family. "Damn you, DiMera!" Chloe screamed to the water in complete frustration. She pounded the wooden box in anger that was next to her.

Chloe watched the fog roll in off of the water, dreading the coming moments. She mentally prepared herself for doing the hardest thing in her life. Letting Brady Black go.

Meanwhile at the penthouse…

Belle laughed as she watched Brady prepare for his anticipated meeting with Chloe. Brady, usually so calm, controlled, and collective, was as nervous as a teenage boy readying for his first date. "Belle, this has got to be perfect! Which shirt, the red striped one or the black pullover?"

"I never thought I would see the day when Brady Black would ask me for fashion advice! Didn't you once tell me that you created your own fashion?" Belle flippantly teased her brother, so happy for him. When Brady looked at her in annoyance, Belle rolled her eyes at him and said perkily from her perch on his bed, "The black one, Brady."

Brady returned Belle's smile as he slipped the black pullover his amazing chest. He had a sudden flashback to the day this past summer when he played basketball with Chloe. He grinned as he remembered her reaction to his chest.

"Hello? Earth to Brady!" Belle snapped her fingers to get his attention. Man, love certainly had opened Brady up to his feelings! Belle was so happy for Brady and Chloe, grateful that the two of them had found each other.

Brady shook his head as he cleared his thoughts of Chloe. "Sorry, Tink, just reminiscing."

"Oh, ick! Just don't tell! It's hard enough to see you and Chloe together holding hands, let alone kissing or hugging! Yuck!" She giggled when Brady attacked her with a pillow, releasing some of his nervousness about his upcoming meeting with the love of his life.

"Stop!" Belle said finally, out of breath. She gasped as she looked at his alarm clock. "Look at the time, Brady! You had better get going."

They both stood up from his bed. Brady smiled as his sister gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "For luck," she said when he looked at her quizzically. Belle watched Brady as he walked out the door. Then, she called out to him. "Don't forget. Let Chloe know how much she will always mean to you. And that you will always stand with her."

Brady looked back from his bedroom doorway. "I won't have any trouble doing that." And with a wink and a grin for his favorite sister, Brady exited through the his bedroom door, confident in the outcome of his meeting with Chloe.

Belle watched Brady leave the penthouse from the top of the stairs. John and Marlena joined her. "I'm so excited Chloe is meeting Brady!" Belle bubbled over with happiness to her parents. "Now things can go back to the way they are supposed to be." John and Marlena smiled in agreement. They were all confident that Brady and Chloe would be able to work everything out.

At the pier...

Chloe could feel Brady's electric presence even before she heard his footsteps echo off the boards of the pier. She quickly brushed a tear away from her eye, hiding her devastation from Brady. She was finally thankful for her time in her foster homes and the orphanage. She had learned how to hide her feelings well as she carefully composed her face, revealing none of the inner turmoil swirling around in her.

"Chloe," Brady breathed out when he saw her silhouetted against the night sky, facing the water. She simply took his breath away. As usual. And she'll always continue to do that, Brady thought as he waited for her to turn around. She's my diva.

Chloe turned around to face the love of her life, the man whose heart she was about to break to save him and his family from her father. "Brady," she answered.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Brady's whole face lit up with a sheer blissful smile while his eyes feasted on his soulmate, Chloe Lane, after she turned around to face him completely. He couldn't see her features very well, due to the poor outside lighting, but he could imagine them. She's so damn beautiful! he thought as he waited for Chloe to continue. And she's mine. Guaranteed.

Chloe stayed by the edge of the pier. It felt like a rusty knife was plunging repeatedly through her heart. The only thing that kept her from running straight into Brady's arms was the image of her evil father, laughing as he casually destroyed Brady and his family, while she looked on, knowing that she could have prevented it with a "simple" sacrifice. That won't happen, she thought fiercely. I can never let Brady know why I am really doing this. He would simply say, "To hell with DiMera!", and try to face him on his own. He would lose. DiMera always wins.

Brady felt a small shiver of apprehension run down his back as Chloe continued to stare at him silently. He didn't know that she was unconsciously memorizing every detail about him, to hold close to her heart during the lonely months and years ahead of her. "Chloe?" he prompted questioningly, wondering why she hadn't reacted to his presence yet.

Chloe didn't make a move to go towards him. "I'm grateful that you came to meet me," she began, choosing her words slowly and carefully. She couldn't let the joy that was bubbling in her heart at seeing him again flow out; that would counteract what she had to do tonight.

Brady grimaced as he interrupted Chloe, "Grateful? Why would you be grateful?" Why was Chloe being so reserved, so aloof? he thought as he waited for her reply. This was their first meeting since Stefano's revelation at the Christmas Ball and it was not going the way he thought it should.

Chloe sighed inwardly. Dammit, this was going to be nearly impossible. How do you break the heart of your soulmate? she wondered, even if you are trying to save him, and their family. "Yes, grateful," she said haltingly. "Brady, we really need to talk."

The weird vibes Chloe was giving off were finally starting to penetrate Brady's euphoria over seeing Chloe again. Something definitely was not right here. Then, like a lightning flash, it hit Brady. "Chloe," he said, "you're right. I need to explain to you about the night of the ball."

This time Chloe interrupted him. She put her hand up towards Brady, trying to stop his flow of words. She didn't want to hear what Brady would say next. It would only cause her more pain and hurt. "No, that's not…."

Brady motioned with his hand to stop Chloe's next words. "Yeah, that's it. I've regretted not following you immediately after DiMera's announcement. I didn't stay because I didn't want to see you. I stayed to make DiMera prove his allegations. You are completely innocent in this farce, Chloe! I know it, and so does my family." Brady came a step closer to Chloe, who was looking surprisingly vulnerable to him as the thin trail of moonlight danced slowly across her face. "Unfortunately, he was able to. The second he did, I raced after you. You were gone by the time I got down to the parking garage."

"I went with Hope Brady and Greta," Chloe said mechanically, wishing she had waited a few more precious minutes until Brady had found her. That meeting may have prevented this soon-to-be horrible scene. "I stayed with Greta and Mrs. Brady that night at Greta's house. We helped each other through some of the shock and pain."

"And I searched for you, all night." Brady continued with his recollection about that night. He wanted Chloe to see, to feel, to understand the depths of his feelings for her. "I went everywhere I thought you would be, but I couldn't find you. Then, I continued to search for you the next day, and today, until you called me. Listen, Chloe, I…" He moved another step closer to Chloe, bringing him within touching distance.

Chloe interrupted him again, before he could tell her how he still felt about her and unknowingly break her heart all over again. Stefano DiMera had already done one hell of a job of shattering it and gleefully scattering the pieces. "Brady, that's not what I meant when I said we needed to talk. I understand completely why you stayed behind. And that's fine with me. I don't hold that against you. I needed to come to terms with all of this myself, anyway, before I could see you again." Chloe turned away, pretending she hadn't seen how Brady had just reached for her.

Brady's eyes began to reflect his puzzlement at Chloe's weird behavior, especially when he suspected that she had just rejected his touch. "Please continue," he asked her, wondering where this conversation was leading. It certainly wasn't headed in the direction he wanted it to. He put his hands in his pockets, eyes staring intently at Chloe, in a classic Brady pose, as all emotions dropped from his face.

Chloe kept her back turned to him as she gazed out of the water, praying for the strength to continue. She could feel his presence so close to her and knew that Brady was puzzled and annoyed at her behavior. She took an inaudible deep breath and brushed another tear away from her face, out of Brady's sight. Hold it together, Lane, she ordered herself. "I used the past few days to accept my new identity. I'll never see that awful man as my father, but I have to admit that he is my father and that I carry his tainted blood in me."

She paused to prevent any wavering in her voice. She had to carry this off perfectly, or else Brady would know something was up. He had to believe that she wanted to end their relationship, forever. Pretend you're on stage, she thought, singing a tragic opera to millions of adoring fans. Lord knows your life could certainly equal the most tragic of operas! "And I kept remembering everything he has done to your family, Brady. I also remembered how strongly you and all your family despise my father."

"Come on, Chloe!" Brady broke in impatiently, revealing his annoyance. "You're nothing like him! We all know that you and Greta are the victims here!" He placed his arm on Chloe's shoulder and, even in his continuing frustration, turned her gently around to face him. He could never hurt Chloe.

Chloe's eyes revealed none of the inner turmoil her heart and soul were experiencing. She worked very hard to conceal her emotions, to present a blank look to the one person who could read her as easily as he read a book. "God, Brady, isn't it you who told me that no one who was related to Stefano DiMera was completely innocent? That evil runs in his family? Look at Kristen, Peter, Lexi…my newfound siblings?"

Brady couldn't understand what Chloe was getting at. "Yeah, they all turned out bad, but you're nothing like them. You are special, unique, strong! Their hearts had been touched by DiMera." He tried to meet Chloe's eyes but she refused the contact. Again. "Your heart is pure, Chloe."

"No, it's not," Chloe argued as she finally met Brady's eyes. He was shocked at the determination he could finally read in them, the only emotion that Chloe allowed him to see. "We can't change the truth, as Stefano DiMera so recently proved to us. I am his daughter." She paused slightly, to gather her remaining strength around her like a cloak. "And he is the sworn enemy of your family."

Brady couldn't comprehend what Chloe was saying or meaning by this conversation. "Chloe, no one holds this against you," he reiterated again as he continued to look at her with puzzlement clear across his face.

"Oh yes, they do!" Chloe insisted strongly, drawing strength from the events of the past few days. "Look at that damn tabloid! It's printed stories yesterday and today about "Salem's new royalty"! Salem won't ever be able to forget that I am DiMera's daughter! He won't allow it."

Brady caught onto Chloe's thread of fear for DiMera. "Are you scared about DiMera?" he asked, hoping this was the root of Chloe's problem. He could definitely help her here. "I'll protect you, Chloe. He would never be able to hurt you."

Chloe walked away from Brady before he could take her in his arms in comfort, which she knew would be his next move. He would want to give her comfort, to ease her fears, to be her rock, her foundation of stone, her guiding force. Never again, she though mournfully as her heart cried out loudly for what she was about to do. "Brady," she began again, feeling her composure starting to crack, "look at me. What do you see?" She pointed to herself.

Brady approached her slowly this time, trying hard not to scare her off. Chloe was not reacting the way he had expected her to. He tamped down on his frustration again as he answered, "I see an angel, a beautiful, courageous angel."

Chloe drew herself up, trying not to let herself react to his loving and caring words. "I'm not," she disagreed heatedly. "I am a DiMera, a product of that evil man. Your whole family believes that everyone related to that man is inheritantly bad. You all admitted it to me, the night of the ball. I can't, no, I won't let myself see the love reflected in your eyes turn to hatred, Brady."

Dread was starting to rise up and steal Brady's soul and gleefully smash his heart, his heart that had started beating again so beautifully when he had connected with his soulmate. "What?" he asked unbelievingly.

"I couldn't stand to see you stop wanting to touch me, to hold me, simply because I am a DiMera," Chloe continued, trying not to react to the pained expression on Brady's face. She carefully hid her own pain from her eyes, knowing that she would have an eternity to grieve for her lost love. "Brady, things between us can never go back to what there were."

"God, what is wrong with you?" Brady shouted in disbelief at the woman who seemed to be so casually destroying his soul and trampling his heart into the ground. "I love you, dammit! I don't care who your father is!"

"If you don't now, someday you will!" Chloe insisted angrily back to him, as her heart continue to shatter into minute pieces. "When he goes after your family again, destroying their lives, you will look at me and part of you will think I'm responsible! Dammit, Brady, I can't go through that! I wouldn't be able to stand seeing hatred reflected in your eyes, where there once had been love! I couldn't stand to see you start to despise me because of my father!"

Brady watched in disbelief as the woman he loved slipped further and further away from him. He couldn't find the key, he realized, to reach her and keep her with him. She was hiding the key from him, not letting him get close to her for the first time ever. Brady swore he could actually feel his heart starting to crumble. In order to hide his sudden vulnerability, Brady fell back on his favorite defense mechanism: he found release in blessed anger. "So, what are saying, Chloe? It's over?"

Chloe looked at Brady as her hands competently unhooked his mother's necklace from around her neck. He never knew the effort Chloe exuded to prevent her hands from shaking. She handed it silently to him, being careful not to make contact with his hands as she simply said, "Yes. It's over." She knew that handing the necklace back would signify to Brady that they really were over, and that there would be no reconciliation. Ever.

Brady's face looked grim as he stared into her eyes, which still revealed no emotion to him. He would have expected to see sadness, anger, frustration, any appropriate emotion in her eyes. However, there was nothing in them. "Fine!" he said angrily to her in defense. "But, I wouldn't have cared about DiMera, Chloe. All I wanted was you. Now, dammit, I don't think I can stand to be near you anymore." He turned away and started to walk away from Chloe. His hurt and anger made him turn back and say to Chloe as he reflected on her lack of emotions during this heart-wrenching scene that had driven a rusty stake through his heart, spreading pain throughout his entire being, "I once accused you of being heartless, Chloe Lane. But I never truly believed it, until now."

Chloe sucked in a deep breath slowly as she walked Brady turn and walk away, away from her, away from the love they should have shared for the rest of their lives. Only after he was gone did she allow the emotions swirling through her to be reflected on her face. Chloe weakly slipped down to the boards of the pier, bringing her knees close to her as she huddled on the pier, trying to warm herself when she felt so suddenly, bitterly cold and empty. "I deserved everything he said," she murmured as tears continued to fall unheeded down her face. "But my father will never hurt you now, Brady. Or your family. I can be grateful for that much." Chloe looked up into the sky as her heart continued to bleed, "Oh, Brady, how will I live without you?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Brady walked aimlessly around Salem, trying to come to terms with the scene that Chloe had recently performed on the pier. His heart, which had been bursting with love, now felt flat and deflated. Chloe Lane, his acknowledged soulmate, had broken things off with him! So casually too. "It's final," Brady said in amazement to himself. "She meant every word she said. She's never coming back to me!"

He held up his mother's necklace and looked at it with the aid of the moonlight. It had only encircled Chloe's neck for such a short time. He recalled Chloe's reaction when he had given it to her the night of the Christmas Ball. Her eyes had revealed the happiness and love that was in her soul for him. Brady then thought of the way she had looked at him tonight, without any feeling or emotion at all. "So very different," Brady muttered to himself as he compared the two situations. "She didn't believe in me, or my love. She didn't believe that we could have faced the knowledge of her father, together. She doesn't want me anymore." He continued to walk, unaware of the people around him.

Finally, the numbness that Brady was feeling started to dissipate into the anger he had slightly released on Chloe earlier in the night. He stopped as he approached his "hip and happening" set of wheels.

When he looked at his jeep, a flash of pain went straight to his soul. He suddenly remembered how Chloe had helped him pick it out this past summer. That summer had been so wonderful, and had opened Brady's eyes to the true depth of his feelings for Chloe. He hadn't been experiencing a crush on his sister's best friend or mere lust when he thought of her. He had fallen completely and deeply in love with Chloe Lane.

Brady walked up to his "hot wheels". He brought his hands down angrily on the hood of his car, trying to release some of his fury. He leaned against the hood, thinking of Chloe. "Why would she do this to me?" he verbalized the question that was starting to haunt him. "Why couldn't she trust in me, in my love for her?" He opened his car door, feeling like a very old man as he climbed in slowly and drove away.

Brady purposefully waited until after midnight before he went home to the penthouse. He was so emotionally drained and didn't want to face Belle's million perky questions about his meeting with Chloe at the pier. He slowly opened the door to the penthouse, glad that no one was up. All of the lights were off.

"Good," Brady murmured as he closed the door behind him. "Everyone's already in bed." He made his way to the stairs in the dark, grateful that he wouldn't have to share the devastating scene with Chloe any time soon. Tomorrow would come fast enough.

The gratitude he was feeling died a quick death when John approached Brady with a smile on his face in the hallway from his bedroom. "Hey, son!" he greeted him happily, sure of the outcome of Brady's meeting with Chloe. "I've been waiting for you to come home. I nearly gave up and went to bed." The lighting was nearly nonexistent, so John hadn't gotten a good look at Brady's face yet. He slung his arm companionably over his son's shoulders and squeezed him tightly. "Where's Chloe?" he asked. "Marlena, Belle, and I bet that she would be coming home with you, to stay here until everything with DiMera was settled."

"She won't be doing that," Brady said with certainty, trying to hide his ravaged feelings from his father. A useless endeavor. "Listen, Dad. I'm really tired. I want to go to bed now."

John arched his eyebrow. He was beginning to realize that something wasn't quite right with his son. "Brady?" he asked in concern as he peered closer at his son's face. "Did something happen to Chloe?"

Brady thought about Chloe's change of heart towards him as he answered, "Something like that." Brady pulled out of his father's embrace and continued to his room, hoping his father would get the silent message that he wanted to be alone right now.

John received the message loud and clear. Brady wanted to hide what happened tonight, but John was having none of that. He followed Brady into his room, and flipped on his lights. When Brady turned around at the sudden flair of light, John looked closely at Brady's face. His face appeared emotionless, like it was made out of stone. However, Brady's eyes gave him away. There was such hopelessness, anger, fear, hurt, and a pained love revealed in them.

"Oh my god!" John breathed out in surprise and concern. He quickly closed the door behind him, realizing that Brady wouldn't want Marlena and Belle in on this conversation. "What happened, son?"

Brady knew there would be no way of getting rid of his father now. Of course, he felt grateful that his father was here and for his support. Most of him wanted to share the night's events with him. Brady sat down on his bed in dejection. "It's over," he said simple to his father. "She broke it off with me."

"WHAT!" John exploded in genuine surprise. Was Chloe crazy? Everyone knew how much Brady cared for her. And they all thought Chloe felt the same. The Blacks had all believed that Chloe would eventually become a member of their family. It had seemed written in the stars. This news was a total and complete shock!

Brady eyed his father reproachfully. "Keep it down, Dad," he ordered his father. "I can't deal with Belle or Marlena tonight. It's bad enough trying to talk about it with you. I don't think I could take their suffocating concern right now."

John agreed with Brady as he carefully sat down on the bed next to his heartbroken son. He could tell that Brady's emotions were too raw right now to face the concern of the females in their family. "You're right, Brady. Sorry about that. I am, well, I'm plainly shocked!"

Brady nodded ruefully as he gazed unseeingly at the wall in front of him, not meeting his father's concerned look. "She doesn't think we can survive this, that we're not strong enough." He punched one hand into his other in frustration. "I tried to tell her in so many ways that DiMera doesn't matter, but she wouldn't listen."

John started to envision the scene that had taken place earlier tonight. We never thought of this scenario, he thought sadly. We believed everything would be fine between them once they met again. "It's o.k., son," he said ineffectually. "What happened next?"

"I tried so hard, Dad," Brady said as he turned to meet his father. He wanted his father to know that he wasn't responsible for this debacle. "But she wouldn't respond. She calmly stood there and broke my heart, without any emotion at all. She didn't cry. She just stood there, on the pier, telling me that we couldn't be together anymore." The most disturbing part of the night's conversation came back to Brady's mind as he repeated to his father, "Dad, her face didn't show any emotion at all. It was almost like she didn't care that she was ending everything between us!"

This scenario didn't fit with John's knowledge of Chloe Lane, who he knew to be madly in love with his son. "Dear lord," John breathed in surprise as he looked at his ravaged son.

Brady stood up in agitation and started to pace the floor in his bedroom. "I thought, no, I believed that Chloe loved me as much as I loved her. But, I found out tonight, that she didn't, not enough to face the knowledge of her father with me."

"You let her know that her father didn't matter?" John inquired, wondering if that was the problem with Chloe.

Brady stopped to stare incredulously at his father. "Of course I did, Dad! I told her that many times tonight, but she didn't respond. She never gave me a chance. She had already made up her mind, and there's nothing I could do or say to change it." Brady then took out the necklace Chloe had given him back from the pocket of his pants. "And this proved it to me. Beyond a shadow of a doubt." He held up the necklace for his father's perusal.

John stood up from the bed and walked over to Brady when he recognized the necklace. "No," he said in disagreement, hoping the necklace wasn't the one Brady had given her the night of the ball, even though his eyes told him clearly that it was.

"She gave it back to me, Dad," Brady said with finality. "That showed me how serious she was about breaking up with me. And she did it so coolly, like she wasn't even aware that she was trampling my heart." Brady's fist closed tightly over the necklace. "I…dammit…I just don't get it!"

John pulled his son into his strong embrace. He knew what it was like to go through heartbreak, and he realized that Brady needed to be alone, without his interference, right now. Some things you needed to deal with on your own. "I love you, son," John said to Brady as Brady returned the hug. "I'm here for you. Everyone is."

Brady nodded as he stepped out of his father's hug. "Thanks, Dad." Brady looked quickly at the door. This time John took the hint.

When John was at the closed bedroom door, he turned back to look once more at his son. "You'll survive," he said to Brady. "We're all here for you." With that, he opened the door and headed down the hall. Marlena and Belle were waiting for him by Belle's room. They attacked him in a flutter of concern. John put a finger to his lips in a sign of quiet and brought them into his bedroom, where he reported the surprising turn of events to their combined shock and horror.

After the door closed, Brady went to his dresser. He reverently laid his mother's necklace on the top of it. "You left me, Mom," he said aloud, "but you couldn't help it." He picked up the glass heart with Chloe's name on it. "She could have."

Brady inspected the glass heart. Suddenly, a rage filled him. He pulled his arm back and prepared to throw it against the wall, wanting to see it shatter, just like she had splintered his heart. He nearly released it before his soul got the better of him. He looked back down at Chloe's heart, and realized that he wasn't ready to shatter it, not yet. "Someday," he said to it, "when I'm completely over you. Then I'll break it."

The only question in Brady's mind as he placed the heart in a box and in one of his dresser drawers was, When? When will I get over Chloe Lane? He would simply have to harden his heart, he realized, against his former soulmate. Block out all of the pain she had been responsible for. And all of the memories. Then, maybe then, he would be able to pick up the pieces and move on with his life. Silent tears of grief welled up in his eyes and fell down his face.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

Chloe's hand shook as she tried to fit the key into the lock of Greta's house. It took her five times before she was able to fit the key and open the door. After she stepped into the house, Chloe closed the door and leaned despairingly against it. The cool composure she had fought so valiantly for when she met with Brady was rapidly deteriorating. Chloe eyes now reflected the desperation her heart and soul was feeling. Brady would have a tough time of accusing her of being heartless now.

She stayed against the door for what seemed like an eternity, trying to find the energy to walk to her bedroom. All of her energy had been sapped out of her during her meeting on the pier with Brady. "He didn't care," she whispered aloud in disbelief as she realized everything that she had lost because of her f king father. "He didn't care that I am Stefano DiMera's daughter!"

The back door that opened up into the kitchen rattled but Chloe didn't hear it, so engrossed was she in her depressing thoughts. She didn't hear the sounds of Hope and Greta's conversation, as they came back from a night of their barhopping.

"Can you tell me now, Hope?" Greta said in exasperation. Her friend had shown up earlier in the evening, upset but not willing to talk about it. Hope had wanted to seek blissful release in the bar scene, but it hadn't worked.

Hope's whole body sagged as she answered Greta. "I made the mistake of going to my old house today." She stopped as she fought the expanding hole in her soul. "Needless to say, Bo and Shawn were not very welcoming. I wanted to explain to them, about that awful time with DiMera on that damn sub. That it wasn't really me, but they didn't want to listen to me."

"Oh, Hope," Greta said in sympathy as she laid her hand gently on Hope's shoulder. Greta had wanted to forget Colin's wild accusations and the unflattering tabloid stories. Both of them had tried to drown their hurts, to no avail.

"Yeah," Hope answered sadly. "Bo wouldn't talk to me at all. He stared at me, with this look of total disgust on his face. Shawn, well, he seems to excel at expressing his anger towards me. It wasn't a pretty sight. Bo finally asked me to leave, telling me it didn't matter anymore. He said it could have mattered, if I had been willing to tell him the whole truth years ago." She sighed in resignation at the decision to keep so much from her soon-to-be ex-husband. "So, now, both Bo and Shawn want nothing more to do with me. My last hope is gone."

Greta flashed back to that ugly scene with Colin yesterday. "I know the feeling." The two of them walked through the kitchen door, and were surprised to see Chloe leaning against the front door. Her eyes were staring ahead, at some horror only she could see, feel, and comprehend.

"Oh god!" Greta exclaimed to Hope. "Now what's happened?" Greta hadn't seen Chloe today. Neither Hope or Greta were aware of Chloe's disastrous decision to meet with Stefano and the bargain she had unintentionally made with him.

Hope walked slowly up to Chloe, recognizing many of the same emotions on the younger woman's face that she was now feeling. "Chloe?" she asked when Chloe didn't turn around at the sound of her approaching feet.

Chloe shook her head once, as if to clear it, before she met Hope's gaze. Her eyes looked so vulnerable and hurt as she whispered brokenly to Hope, "I'm all alone again."

Hope pulled the totally devastated younger woman into her arms and glanced questioningly at Greta, who shook her head to show her that she did not know what was going on. "Chloe?" Hope prompted softly, putting aside her feelings for the sake of the younger woman's obvious anguish. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Greta followed Hope and Chloe as they entered her living room. She flicked on only one night, thinking that all three of their souls couldn't deal well with the blinding glare of artificial lighting right now. They needed to be soothed and calmed. She sat gingerly down on the other side of her sister as Hope gently pushed Chloe onto the sofa.

"What happened?" Hope prompted again in concern. "Why are you all alone?"

In halting sentences, Chloe proceeded to tell them her decision to visit her father this morning, in order to try to restore lives. "I wanted to stop this madness," she began haltingly, "to try and restore order to our lives. So, I decided to visit my father, Stefano DiMera, this morning, and try to right everything. I failed. Miserably."

Vivid horror crossed Hope's face. She knew exactly how ruthless Stefano DiMera could be. He reveled in causing pain and enjoyed causing suffering to his enemies. "Oh Chloe! You went to see DiMera? Alone?"

"My god!" Greta breathed in shocked admiration as she gazed at her sister. "You're very brave, Chloe."

Chloe grinned slightly in jest at herself as she replied, "No. I'm so damn stupid!" She took a deep breath and continued, "I wanted him to leave us alone, but he wouldn't listen. He proceeded to tell me how much he wanted me to be his "daughter." Her eyes fluttered in disgust as Hope and Greta listened avidly. "He offered me my dream. Of going to music school. I could go anywhere I wanted to study. There was only one small, tiny, insignificant detail."

"There always is with DiMera," Hope broke in, wondering what happened to her today. "What happened next?"

"Well, all I had to do was accept his last name. Chloe DiMera." Chloe laughed harshly at herself as she realized the death of her dream of becoming an opera singer. That dream didn't seem as important now that she had completely and totally lost Brady Black, with no hope of ever getting him back. "I turned him down. Completely and totally. I will never be able to sing professionally now. Of course, with the way I'm feeling, I doubt if I will ever want to sing anything again." She became quiet for a moment before she continued with the worst piece of the news. "As I was leaving, Stefano mentioned his impending "plans" to destroy the Black family."

Greta's face showed her upset as she denied it fervently, "No! He needs to leave them alone!" She cared deeply about John and his family, and thought briefly what a joy it would have been to be John's daughter. But that was not to be.

"Oh, he will," Chloe answered in resignation as she closed her eyes tightly. "I had to dance with the devil, but he will definitely leave the Blacks alone now."

"No, Chloe, no," Hope denied Chloe's words, realizing that Chloe had lost something else today besides her hope of becoming an opera singer. DiMera had destroyed something else, something extremely valuable to Chloe. Hope was afraid that she knew what that "something" was. "What did he make you do?"

Chloe opened her eyes and watched the clock in the living room slowly tick as it counted the minutes. My life will go that slow now, she thought inconsequentially as she pondered life without Brady. She gathered up the very last of her courage before she admitted the extent of her foolishness today to Hope and Greta. "He had a simple request, really, for me to fulfill. He will leave the Blacks alone as long as I cut all ties from Brady Black." A solitary tear slid down her face.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Greta exclaimed angrily, her eyebrows arching in an expression of horror. "He couldn't do that to you, Chloe!" Greta pulled her sister into a tight embrace, hoping to infuse Chloe with some of her strength.

"Yes, he could. I became another one of his "pawns." It was exactly like a chess game. Only I lost, pitifully. I wasn't much of a match, I'm afraid." Chloe took another deep breath as she admitted the rest of her day's events. "I just met with Brady, on the pier. I broke his heart. And I completely shattered mine."

Hope's eyes flashed with vivid fury as she denied Chloe's statement of responsibility. "NO! You didn't do this, Chloe! That damn DiMera did! God, will he ever stop ruining our lives? Just when we think we are safe, he comes along, like a sudden storm, destroying everything in its path."

Chloe said from the comfort of Greta's embrace through her continuingly silent tears, "He's managed to kill all of our dreams, in under forty-eight hours. How could anyone be this cruel, this evil? I hate him. I despise him so much!"

"We'll find new dreams," Greta replied soothingly to her upset and devastated sister. "And we'll do it. Together." Greta reached for Hope's hand, who accepted it and laid her other hand on Chloe's. The three of them formed a circle, a circle of devastated dreams and shattered lives.

"I already have one," Hope said with finality to her sympathetic friends. "I would love to have you two join me in it. I think, after everything that has happened in the past forty-eight hours, we definitely have the drive and the motivation to see it through, to its final conclusion."

Chloe sat up from Greta's embrace and accepted both Greta's and Hope's hands in hers. "What is your new dream, Mrs. Brady?"  
She ignored the tears that were still drying on her ravaged face.

"Honey, call me Hope," she said as she smiled comfortingly at Chloe. It hurt Chloe's facial features, but she smiled slightly back. "I'm going after DiMera. I'm going to make that bastard pay for everything he has done to us, and to all of the people we love and care about."

A figment of interest finally flickered across Chloe's face as Greta responded with certainty, "Yes! Let's make that unfeeling son of a bitch pay!"

Hope and Greta glanced at Chloe, whose smile came a little bit easier this time. "There's nothing like the power of three," she answered, letting them know she was standing tall with them. "I want my father to feel the pain and devastation he has so kindly given to us. Even if that does make me feel like a DiMera."

The three of them stood up from the sofa, still holding hands tightly, as they formed an upright circle. "It's not going to be easy," Hope warned, "and it may take awhile. But, I really believe the three of us can do it. We can take that bastard down and make him pay in spades for everything he has ever done to us!"

"Together," Greta answered in response to Hope's statement. Chloe nodded her agreement, willing to do almost anything to have revenge against the man who had hurt them all beyond measure.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**  
 _Final Chapter_

A day later, Chloe looked around the bedroom in Greta's house she was about to vacate. It was Christmas Eve, a day that should have been spent in preparation for celebrations with your family and friends. Instead, Chloe, Hope, and Greta were preparing to leave Salem. They weren't sure when they would return.

Chloe had finally called Nancy and Craig, thanking them for always being there for her, even when she didn't want them to be. She had also said her farewells to them, explaining that she would be leaving Salem for a while. When they asked why she was leaving Salem, Chloe had shied away from the whole truth. She said that the three of them wanted to heal from the devastation created by Stefano DiMera. Nancy had been tearful, but surprisingly supportive. Nancy had admitted to Chloe and to Craig about her horrible experience with Bill Horton years ago, who would have been her daughter's father. Craig had been shocked and a little angry at first, but then he had put his feelings aside and supported his wife. Both of them had made Chloe promise to stay in touch with them, to let them know what was going on in her life. Chloe had promised, on one condition. They needed to return the favor.

Part of her was seriously depressed to leave the town of Salem, but she was also relieved that she wouldn't have to face Brady again, or the memories that haunted nearly every corner in the town. Her bags were packed as she prepared to leave Salem with Greta, Hope, and baby J.T. They were about to embark on their plan to take Stefano DiMera down.

The thought of Brady brought nearly physical pain to Chloe as she contemplated what he was doing now. "Thank god I got him furious at me!" she whispered heartbrokenly. "He will need to hate me in order heal, to move on with his life. Why, oh why, couldn't I be part of it?" But fate had turned a blind eye to her plea, leading her to this precarious cliff she was standing on. At least she was in good company. She could rely on Hope and Greta for complete support and total understanding.

Chloe carried her two suitcases and her other bag down the stairs. She placed them at the bottom of the staircase with Greta's numerous ones. She started to call Hope and Greta at Alice Horton's house, to see if they were nearly ready to leave. Her fingers had only dialed the first three numbers when the doorbell rang.

Chloe composed her face quickly, thinking wildly that it was Brady. Her heart wished it was him, but her mind denied it, hoping she wouldn't have to hurt him again. "I can't go through another scene like that one on the pier with him again," she whispered before she walked, trance-like, to the door.

Chloe slowly opened the door, revealing a surprising guest who had fury radiating in waves around her. "Where do you think you get off?" Belle accused her angrily as she swept past her former best friend, her eyes shooting vibrant sparks of anger at Chloe. "I can't believe what you did to Brady, who happens to be the sweetest guy on earth! How could you hurt him like this?"

Chloe took an unusually long time closing the door, trying to regain her fake aura of calm. When she was reasonable sure she had it, Chloe turned to meet Belle square on. Part of her deal had also been to spare Belle pain, Chloe realized, but Belle would never know that. None of the Blacks would ever realize the full extent of Chloe's sacrifice. They would only see the pain she had caused Brady. And would continue to despise her for it.

Belle stood aggressively and commented on Chloe's lack of a response. "I mean, are you totally INSANE? Brady worshipped the ground you walked on! He would have done anything, and I mean anything, for you! Why would you cut him off like this?"

Oh god, Chloe thought as she gathered her remaining strength to face Belle. Why couldn't she have come later, when we were gone? "Belle, it's very complicated. And it's between Brady and me."

"NO! IT'S NOT!" Belle actually shouted at Chloe, who stood her ground in the face of her friend's righteous anger. "Brady has been hurt so much in his life. He's been emotionally scarred, first by the death of his mother, and then his feelings of inadequacy about belonging in our family. Finally, he's been able to come to terms with some of those scars and was starting to heal. His relationship with my mother is changing for the better. He's more open, more willing to share his thoughts and feelings with us. And I thought that you were, like, happy about this and willing to support Brady! Instead, I've discovered that you never really knew him; otherwise you wouldn't have completely destroyed him!"

Chloe carefully kept her true feelings concealed from Belle, but it was tough when Belle was pouring salt over her open wounds. "Belle," she tried again calmly, "I want Brady to be happy. He wouldn't be happy with me. Not now." And that was completely true. If Chloe stayed with Brady, Stefano DiMera would work overtime to destroy the Black family. Now, Chloe was the buffer between them and disaster.

"Oh? And he is soooo ecstatic right now!" Belle replied in a rare show of sarcasm, usually her brother's forte. "You have caused him more pain and hurt than he has ever felt in his entire life!" She recalled the broken expression on his face this morning when he finally came out of his room to face the world. He had tried valiantly to hide his feelings when he realized Belle was watching him anxiously. It had broken Belle's heart, causing her to come over to Princess Greta's house in fury and confront the person responsible as soon as she could leave the penthouse without Brady's knowledge of her destination.

"He told me how you calmly and coldly broke things off with him on the pier last night," Belle continued when Chloe didn't say anything in response again. "And I can see that he was right. You must never have loved him! You always told me that you didn't know what love was. Now I finally believe you."

I know exactly what love is, Chloe thought forlornly. Love is all consuming. Love is sacrifice. Love is watching the man you love live a happy life, free from DiMera's influence. Even if he has to live that life with another woman. But I won't think of that now, Chloe thought as hurt seeped into her, rubbing her soul raw. Later.

Belle inspected Chloe's averted face carefully, looking for any signs of hurt, anger, frustration, sadness, anything. If she found a feeling there, maybe there would be a hope. If Chloe was feeling any type of remorse, then Belle could try to start patching things up between her brother and her former best friend. But Chloe's expression revealed nothing, which made Belle even more livid. "Chloe!" Belle said, trying to get Chloe's attention.

Chloe turned to meet Belle's gaze squarely, waiting for the next accusation to be hurled her way by this petite fury. She realized that, from all of the Black's perspective, she deserved whatever they believed of her. She would never be able to defend her actions to their total satisfaction.

"All I can say is, why? Why did you have to do this? Break Brady's heart? I mean, you know how vulnerable he is, underneath his hard exterior. You've told me that, like, a million times. Why?" she reiterated again, just in case Chloe may have missed her point.

Chloe ventured quietly as she told her friend the truth Belle would never fully comprehend, "I had to, Belle. I didn't have a choice." The phone in the living room rang shrilly, cutting in on their discussion. Well, Belle's ranting is a more appropriate term. Chloe turned and went quickly to answer it, grateful for the distraction.

Belle heard Chloe say, "Yes…fifteen minutes?…I'm ready…See you soon, Greta." While Chloe talked on the phone, Belle noticed for the first time the numerous suitcases at the end of the staircase.

When Chloe came back in, Belle asked her, "Are you moving out of here, too? Where else can you move to in Salem?"

Chloe hesitated, but then decided she may as well tell Belle now. She was bound to hear it anyway. Maybe Belle would feel relieved that she wouldn't be around to hurt Brady anymore. "We're leaving Salem today."

"Oh?" Belle asked condescendingly in response to Chloe's statement. "And who is we?"

"Me, Greta, Hope, and J.T." Chloe figured Belle would find out about Hope Brady's departure soon, too.

"That's rich," Belle responded with ironic humor, a small travesty of a smile crossing her face. "The three of you leaving, together. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, the three of you are so notorious now in the town of Salem. And there is such a thing about safety in numbers." Belle walked back to the door, prepared to leave the house. She had one last statement to make to her ex-best friend before she left. "Just don't think my family or Brady will ever welcome you back to Salem with open arms." Belle walked through the door, never once looking back at her former friend.

"If you only knew…" Chloe said despondently as she prepared to leave Salem. She was grateful for the new goals in her life. Hope, Greta, and Chloe had a lot to do before they could begin their campaign against Stefano DiMera. Leaving Salem and moving to Europe was the first step in the lengthy campaign.

When Chloe heard Greta's car pull in the driveway, she picked up her bags and opened the door. Life certainly is full of surprises, she thought as she carried her suitcases through the door. "The storm is finally over," Chloe said to Greta when she met her on the steps. "Now it's time for us to deal with the aftermath."

 _To Be Concluded In_ _ **The Aftermath of the Storm**_ _..._


End file.
